Right in Front of Your Eyes
by newbie421
Summary: Lizzy has had a crush on family friend Will Darcy forever but will he ever see her as more than just a kid?
1. Prologue

This has Lizzy and Darcy but the whole storyline is different so please review and this is my first fanfic so PLEASE go easy on me..would appreciate all the advice i can get...

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, they belong to Jane Austen

Prologue

Elizabeth Bennet knew she was nothing special to look at. At the awkward age of 13, she had the usual frizzy dark brown, almost black hair, problem skin and she could afford to lose a few pounds. The only thinking she really liked about herself were her eyes. They were a beautiful blue, somewhere between azure and turquoise. However everything else about her was so non-descript that these were easy to pass over. All these thoughts ran through Elizabeth's, or Lizzy as she was more commonly referred to as, head as she gazed critically at herself in a full length mirror while she dressed herself for yet another one of her father's parties. God knew he threw enough of them, being a very important owner and ceo of a significant company. Luckily this would be her last for a while seeing as she was going to be leaving to live with her Aunt and Uncle in Europe and attend school there. Her mother had died of cancer when she was a baby and her father had raised her (with the help of nannies) but now he wanted her to experience new places and people and her relatives were eagerly waiting for her arrival, scarcely less so than Lizzy. She would miss her father of course but she was excited for the opportunity to start fresh where she would not be known as the wealthy heiress who would one day inherit billions instead of continuing at the elite New York school she had been attending up until now. She tugged at her sleeveless pink baby doll dress, that ended with a flare just above her knees and tried to smooth her hair down before slipping on her shoes and rushing to the door.

"Miss Lizzy, your father is waiting for you in the foyer" Samuel their butler informed her as she shut her bedroom door

"Thanks Sam..how do I look, will I pass?" Lizzy did a quick twirl.

"Absolutely divine Miss" he informed her with smile and a wink, as per their usual pre-party routine. Lizzy grinned and ran off to meet her father who stood waiting for her in his immaculate tuxedo.

" Sorry I took so long Daddy" Lizzy apologized as soon as she was close enough to speak.

"that's ok honey, i know how you like to primp" he helped her with her shawl " you look lovely".

"thanks Dad… You look quite dashing yourself"

"dashing? wow preparing for your soon to be new surroundings?" They walked out together and got into the waiting limo. " You know, you don't have to go if you don't want to." he began once again.

"Dad, i thought this was something we both wanted!" She protested.

"Yeah well I'm not so sure anymore. I cant remember what made me think that sending my daughter half way across the world for an extended period of time was a good idea." he huffed. Michael Bennet was a tender hearted father and was very close to Lizzy, his pride and joy. Although he knew this was going to be a wonderful experience, he also knew that he would miss his daughter terribly. Lizzy chuckled at her father's words and shook her head.

"well at least promise me you'll let me know if you're homesick and i'll come and get you right away" Michael took her small hand in his.

"I promise Dad. I'm going to miss you too. I just feel like this is something i need to do. I don't wanna spend all my time being surrounded by those air-headed bimbos from my school. All they care about is being up to date with all the latest fashions and shopping like crazy. I wanna be around people who know that there's more to life than manolo blanks and gucci. I mean com on, I'm 13!"

"well i guess i should be thankful that my daughter doesn't make it a habit of maxing out her credit cards"

"Dad, you haven't even given me a credit card yet!"

"well you're too young for one. Besides you're given a very generous allowance that covers everything you need and when you're 18, then we'll talk. You need to learn the value of money before you go spending it"

" I'm ok with that..just so long as I can have the pretty black one the day i turn 18" she said with a wink. Michael laughed out loud and gave her a hug. Lizzy smiled and turned to look out the window. It was a beautiful summer evening, not too hot and not too cold. Leaving New York would not be easy. She loved everything about New York, the people, the landmarks, the restaurants, the bookshops. She shook her head as if to clear it and tried to focus on the positive reasons behind her move. The Limo pulled up to the Hotel where the event was being held. Jim, their longtime chauffeur, quickly stepped out and opened the door for them. Michael stepped out of the car and turned to help Lizzy out. She would her hand through her father's arm as she walked in, not looking forward to the evening. She wasn't exactly shy but spending time with her father's colleagues and friends was hardly promising. There would be few people her age as the common custom was to leave the young ones at home with their nannies, a custom her father had ignored for quite a while now. They walked in together into the beautiful room. Chandeliers glittered almost as much as the many diamonds that were worn around the room. They were met by a few people near the door and soon her father was swept away to meet and greet some of New York's wealthiest. Lizzy sighed and reached for a flute of ginger ale. She took a sip and slowly gazed around the room, finding some familiar and not so familiar faces. She always liked to stand in the corner, perfect to see and not be seen. That way she could observe everyone to her hearts content.

"Hey squirt!" a familiar voice broke through her thoughts

"hey Richard" Lizzy turned to him and grinned. Richard was a family friend and had recently began working for her father's company, something his own father had been doing for many years already. He was 9 years older than her and she had suffered many nougies at his hands, or should I say fists.

"Already got a headstart I see..what trying to break a record and get drunk before Mr Douglas?" he nodded towards her glass

"It's ginger ale you loser" she rolled her eyes at him " and I'd have to start drinking before breakfast if I wanted to get drunk before Mr Douglas"

"Yeah sure…I know you, you've been sneaking alcohol since you could speak. Your first word was vodka" He reached for some champagne and clinked his glass with hers"

"well if it was, that's because you taught it to me" Lizzy retorted with a grin. Richard paused mid-sip

"can't arque with that..just don't let that bit of information get back to the parentals or I'll follow you to Europe and tell every guy you like that you're actually a cross dresser and your real name is Larry"

"very funny Richard"

"Hey Lizzy" a deep voice cut in. Lizzy turned her face to look at the person who now stood beside Richard hoping, once again that her feelings weren't written all over her face. She quickly swallowed her ginger ale as she faced one of the main reasons she was happy to go to Europe. He was tall, gorgeous and looked at her like a little sister and probably always would.

"Hi Will" she replied.


	2. Chapter 1 Prologue cont'd

Looking for a beta...any takers please? Thanx for all the great reviews! I'm so happy that you guys like it so far...

disclaimer: I don't own the characters, Jane Austen does...

Chapter 1

William Darcy was Lizzy's definition of perfection. He was 6'2, had dark brown hair that could be unruly at times and dreamy brown eyes. Frequent trips to the gym kept him in shape and, while not as jovial as his cousin Richard, he was sweet and witty, albeit a bit on the serious side. He was also a little shy and was a man of few words. However when he did speak it was with a purpose that befit a man much older than his 21 years. His father, too, had worked for Michael Bennet as a senior advisor until his death and William was being groomed for his position, or at least one of senior management. Lizzy had loved him for as long as she could remember. She would have given ANYTHING to get him to notice her and lived in fear of him being snapped up by one of the many girls who looked longingly at him whenever he walked by. But he, like Richard, treated Lizzy like a younger sister or cousin…he didn't tease her as much as Richard did but that wasn't exactly a big improvement. Lizzy was hoping that her stay in Europe would either help her get over him or soften the blow when he did meet his special someone.

" So when are you leaving?" Will voice broke through her thoughts.

"Day after tomorrow" she answered him.

"Day after tomorrow?" Richard exclaimed. "So when is the final farewell? Oh my God, don't tell me this is it!" He pretended to be horrified

"haha very funny" Lizzy muttered sarcastically "I didn't want a goodbye party. I have too much packing to do and I just want a quiet dinner with my dad"

"aww it's ok man, you don't have to feel bad..we know you don't have any friends" Richard patted her shoulder

"Leave her alone man" Will cut in. "so when are you going to come back?" he changed the subject

"umm..I'm not sure yet..not for a few years. Depends on how much I like it there" She hoped he would say something about missing her.

"You're gonna love it there man, I mean staying with Maddie and Edward in France, what could be better?" Richard said enthusiastically.

"Staying in France with my dad" she muttered quietly almost to herself. Will heard her and squeezed her shoulder gently.

"Don't worry" he reassured her taking her empty glass from her "Michael travels a lot, you'll be seeing him very often. I doubt he could stay away for long"

"cheer up kiddo" Richard motioned for a passing waiter and handed her another flute, this time filled with champagne "you'll have a blast, now let's eat drink and be merry, emphasis on the DRINK" he winked at her.

"RICHARD! What are you doing? She's a kid man!" Will grabbed the champagne back from her and handed her another ginger ale. Lizzy squirmed inwardly. She hated when he referred to her as a kid. She was only 8 years younger than him. When they were in their twenties, would it even matter? Soon Will and Richard were called away to speak to some other guests and Lizzy was once again left to fend for herself. She walked around the edge of the room stopping to speak to some old friends of her father's. Finally her father came to her and suggested an end to the evening. After saying their goodbyes, they quickly got into their limo. Lizzy took one last look back to see Will walking away with a beautiful redhead. She turned back to face forward and sighed trying to get the image of the two of them out of her head. As Lizzy climbed into bed the last thought she had was about William.

The next day was spent doing last minute shopping and packing and spending time with Sam and Nina, her live in cook and housekeeper. They were practically family and Lizzy would miss them. Her father was in and out of meetings all day and well into the night so they shared their quiet dinner the next day right before leaving to the airport. William and Richard had sent goodbye messages through her father and expressed their regret at not being able to see her off. Lizzy couldn't help feeling upset that she wouldn't get to see William one last time before she left but perhaps it was for the best. She lingered in the airport lobby as long as possible before making her way to the first class lounge. Her father held her hand the whole time and Lizzy fought to keep her tears in check. She was determined that this would not be a tear filled goodbye. Michael hugged Lizzy as hard as he could.

"Dad you're gonna crack my ribs!" she gasped. He chuckled and let her go.

"I want a phone call overnight and an email every morning, video chat once a week and if you miss any of these appointments, I will personally fly down and drag you back to New York, are we clear?" He demanded

"crystal" She grinned up at him "Bye daddy, I love you" She hid her face in his shoulder.

"I love you too my Lizzy, have fun and stay out of trouble. And call me if you need ANYTHING." his eyes shone with unshed tears.

"I will..see you in France for thanksgiving" she picked up her carry-on and began to walk away turning often to wave at her father who stood there waving back until she was out of sight.

Lizzy finally made it onto the plane and buckled up. She stared out the window, not paying any attention to the flight attendant's safety presentation. The tears that she had so valiantly kept in check now flowed freely down her cheeks. As the plane finally took off she wiped her tears determinedly and sat up.

"Goodbye Will and Goodbye New York"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

8 years later…

"There!" Lizzy slammed down the lid of the trunk, secured it and triumphantly smiled at her best friend Jane. "All packed and ready to go."

"No regrets?" Jane tossed aside the magazine she had been reading and reached for a box of Hotel Chocolat truffles, which were lying on the bedside table.

"Nope. I mean these past 8 years have been wonderful and everything but it's time to go home. Also, I think my dad would go postal if postponed going home again."

Jane tried to concentrate on what Lizzy was saying, but her face was contorted into a picture of disgust and she spat out the half chewed chocolate.

"Yuck! How can you eat this garbage?" Jane grimaced, as she rooted for a drink to wash away the foul taste in her mouth.

"Which one did you have?" Lizzy peered into the tissue, at what was left of the chocolate Jane had discarded. "Dark Chocolate, hmm! That's not my favourite, but dad always says youaren't a true chocoholic unless you eat them all Besides, who said you could have one?" Lizzy cheekily winked at Jane, and scanned her room looking for anything she may have forgotten.

"Touché my American friend." This made Lizzy smile; it had been Jane's term of endearment for her since the first time they had met. "So are we nervous about seeing anyone back home?" Jane asked in a teasing voice; her eyebrows dancing in knowing smirk.

Lizzy let out a loud laugh. "Does it get tiring playing the same record over and over again?"

"Not when you continually avoid the subject!"

"Let the record show, once and for-all, there is no mystery man back home: satisfied?" Lizzy looked into Jane's eyes, a wide smile splitting across her face as she spoke.

"I will never be satisfied." Jane shrugged. "You've barely dated the whole time we've been here. It's not normal: stop living like a only people that live like that have got someone else waiting on the sidelines." Jane tapped the bed next to her, indicating for Lizzy to take a seat: she acquiesced and hopped into Jane's waiting arms.

"What can I say? The men here just don't like me, I meanhow can they when you are standing right beside me?" Lizzy looked up at Jane and winked; causing Jane to tickle her mercilessly.

Finally after a few minutes of tickling each other, both girls collapsed onto the bed and lay staring up at the ceiling. Lying next to her best friend Lizzy couldn't help, but think about how true her statement about Jane was. Jane was beautiful; she was tall with long honey blond hair and emerald green eyes. She was the type of woman men flocked to, but she never seemed to notice or let it get to her head. She was the nicest person Lizzy knew.

"What are you talking about?" Jane exclaimed. "You're beautiful and lots of guys have gone after you over the years, youjust kept brushing them aside."

"Hmm!...Areyou all packed?" Lizzy hopped off the bed, and shuffled underneath her bed, avoiding the subject.

"I finished 3 days ago:we can't all procrastinate like you." Jane was incredibly organised, and Lizzy was incredibly happy that Jane had accepted the modeling job in New York.

"What can I say; it's a skill, not everyone can be as perfect as you. You like to be extremely organised and I," Lizzie paused. "Well I need like my organised chaos."Lizzy couldn't deny it, she had a gift when it came to delaying the inevitable, she liked to think it was endearing – it wasn't.

"You call it organised chaos, I call it messy," Jane retorted with a smile.

Lizzy was about to respond when her aunt's voice echoed in the hall, "girls, it's time for dinner."

"COMING!" They both shouted, scuttling out the bedroom and to the dining room, where Lizzy's aunt and uncle were already seated and eagerly waiting for them. It was to be their last meal together.

BRRIIIINNNGGGGG! The alarm clock blared out, and with a groan Lizzy reached out from under her covers and fumbled to press the snooze button; dying to get another few minutes sleep.

"Wakey, wakey. Rise and Shine!" Lizzy's plan was foiled when the curtains in her room were flung open and the morning sunshine poured in.

"Too early," Lizzy muttered, covering her head with a pillow. Her auntMaddie, continued bringing the room to life; opening the windows, leaving open the doors and picking up Lizzy's discarded clothes from the night before.

"Lizzy, you have a plane to catch, come on up you get. " Maddie pulled the covers off her niece and smiled down at her, as she lay curled in a ball, clinging to a pillow.

"Mmmm…no plane," Lizzy mumbled.

"Elizabeth Bennet, get out of bed right now or I will let your uncle eat all the pastries I got especially for you this morning!"

"Pastries… from Au 140?" Lizzy clung to the pillow, but lifted her eyes to meet her aunts.

"Well you'll just have to come down and see, won't you?" Maddie escaped from the room, leaving Lizzy to slowly get out of bed and rectify the tartan pyjama's that had ridden up her body in the night.

It was safe to say Elizabeth was definitely not a morning person and it always took at least one cup of coffee to get her going. She took a quick shower, slipped on a simple v neck t-shirt, jeans andsneakers and slipped downstairs, to the kitchen.

A small smile crept onto Lizzy's face, it was exactly the same as it had always been; her uncle sat at the table chomping on a croissant whilst reading the paper and her aunt was fussing about, clearing up after everyone else.

"You didn't finish them all did you Uncle Ed?" Lizzy teased as she slipped in to her chair and poured some coffee into her mug.

"I tried, but your aunt Maddie hid some from me."

"Good because you know you can't really afford to eat many of 're getting pretty round." Lizzy playfully smiled at her Uncle as she grabbed a pastry from the plate her aunt had just set down in front of her, and grinned at her uncle.

"Well my dear, I'm surprised you're eating them." Edward stopped and smiled. "I know howmuch you want to watch your weight. Don't want to going back to being a roly poly, like when you arrived." Lizzy scowled at him;defiantly taking a large bite of her pastry and her uncle mirrored her gestures.

"Alright that's enough both of you. Face it, you're both chunker's and I'm a goddess - move on." Maddie said: smiling at their identical looks of disbelief.

Time ticked on and it wasn't long before Lizzy was due to leave.

"Hurry up my child, the plane won't wait for you." Maddie playfully whipped a tea-towel at Lizzy and ushered her upstairs.

Twenty minutes later standing by the front door, with her bags packed, Lizzy was wrapped in her uncle's tight embrace. It was only a matter of minutes before Jane would turn up and suddenly she didn't think she was ready to leave.

"I am going to miss you soooo much." Lizzy wrapped her arms around her uncle's neck. "Bye Uncle Ed. Thank you for everything.I love you and have loved staying with you. " As she spoke a single tear slowly traveled down her cheek.

"We loved having you here. I don't know how Maddie and I are going to get used to life without you. Goodbye sweetheart, I love you." Edward whispered back, remembering their time together.

"I'm going to see you for thanksgiving."She asked pulling away from him. He nodded.

"It'll be nice to celebrate a real American thanksgiving." Outside a car started honking its horn and they drew apart.

"Alright alright I'm coming,geez." Lizzy quickly climbed into the car and threw her handbag into the backseat. She waved to her uncle as they pulled out of the driveway.

"I bet you can't wait to get home."Maddie glanced at her.

"I have two homes, one with you in Paris and the other in New York.8 years is a long time to be away from my dad." Lizzy stared out the scenery as it flew past her: scrabbling to commit it all to memory."

" Well we are really going to miss you, we've really enjoyed having you with us." Maddie slipped her hand into Lizzy's, giving it a quick squeeze before returning it to the steering wheel.

They drove for a few minutes in silence before Maddie spoke again.

"So, what's next for you in the big city?"

"Well," Lizzie paused thoughtfully. "I was thinking about getting a job, but I think dad wants me to take up my place in the family business."

"Well that sounds like your father," Maddie offered with a smile. "Do you want to work for him? "

Lizzy shrugged. "I know I could do the job, but I'm not too crazy about the nepotism involved.I don't want any handouts."

"You're an intelligent young woman and your dad knows that. Your dad wouldn't offer you a job if he didn't think you could do it, but remember, you need to walk your own path in life."

"Hmmm." Lizzy didn't know what else to say, she didn't know what she wanted to do.

After a few minutes of silence they pulled-up to Jane's house and honked. Jane – never one to pack light – came out the house laden with about five suitcases and rammed them into the boot and back seat: good thing it wasn't a long way to the airport.

Poking her head above the luggage, Jane smiled and settled into the back seat, with her eyes closed; causing Lizzy and Maddie to laugh. Clearly Jane wasn't a morning person either.

Lizzy tapped Jane on the knee and offered her a thermos flask. " I think you need this more than me." Jane smiled and gratefully drank from it.

The remainder of the drive passed in silence and it wasn't long before the girls were standing on the airport sidewalk, waving goodbye to Lizzy's aunt retreating car.

"Are you ready my American friend?" Jane gripped Lizzy's shoulder, searching her eyes for any sign of regret: there were none.

"I can't wait. You're going to love New York and I can't wait to show it to you." Lizzy grabbed Jane into a hug, and then pulled her through the airport until they reached their boarding gate.

With one last look around, Lizzy handed in her passport and boarding card then proceeded onto the plane.

Lizzy and Jane settled into first class and Jane promptly fell asleep, but Lizzy couldn't, she was far too excited. This was it, she was going back to her old life as a new woman,

France began to fade out of sight as the plane sailed through the clouds.

Her time in Europe has passed so fast;so much had happened:she had grown up there. She had passed her awkward teen years here; waiting out the acne, frizzy hair and baby fat. Shehad gone to school and decided what she wanted to do with her life. She had discovered her strengths and weaknesses, made new friends - good friends - friend's that she knew she would keep in touch with for the rest of her life. Most importantly she had become a woman here.

Lizzy recollected that she once read that by the time you were in your twenties, your character was formed or at least the direction in which it would continue to develop had been formed and you would continue that way.

Now she was going home to put it all to test.

She wasn't the same person she had been when she left New York.

Lizzy was a woman ready to take on the world.

In the years since she had left New York, she hadn't visited very often. Her father had visited France frequently, stopping there during any business trips he was taking, but the few times she had visited home, she hadn't really seen anyone. Anyone meaning William.

Lizzy was keen to see whether any of her old acquaintances would notice her. Gone were her awkward teenage years, which had been plagued with bad skin that had now cleared up and left her with a flawless complexion, frizzy brown hair that grown out into luscious shiny deep brown curls and baby fat that had melted away and left her with a toned, but curvaceous figure – thanks partly to her daily run

Lizzy wasn't vain and didn't consider herself to be beautiful. As far as she was concerned, she was average, nothing to write home about, but not hideous either and she was ok with that.

A big yawn escaped her and Lizzy decided to submit to the sleepiness: in eight hours she would be home and ready to start her life again.


	4. Chapter 3

Sorry for the late update..I'm on vacation visiting family and it's kinda tough finding a minute to write with so many nephews and nieces running around...

Also thanx to my beta Titans123 for doing an awesome job

Disclaimer: I'm not Jane Austen, just love her stuff

Chapter 3

William Darcy sighed and looked at his watch for what felt like the millionth time. The meeting was dragging on far longer than the allotted 2 hours and after listening to a string of over-exuberant marketing coordinators wax lyrical about new ad-campaigns and image building schemes, he almost wished he was hearing impaired.

The last presenter was the newest – and least experienced - member of the marketing team. He spoke too fast, sweated too much and judging by the looks on the faces of the rest of the board he bored the pants off everyone too. Finally the longest ten minutes of Will's life came to a conclusion and the clueless marketer turned to his bosses; waiting anxiously to hear the results of his presentation.

"Well Mr. Cohen you have definitely given us some," Michael paused to consider his answer, "interesting ideas to consider. We'll be in touch." With that Michael Bennet dismissed the young man and waited a few minutes before turning his chair to face to the rest of the table. "So, gentlemen, what did you think?" The 9 other people in the room looked to one another cautiously; waiting for someone to bite the bullet and go first.

"Well I think the kid's a bore Michael. Where'd you find him?" Sean Fitzwilliam, Richard's father and William's uncle, jumped in first..

Michael threw a sideward's glance to Charles Bingley. Charles was head of marketing; Williams best friend and coincidentally the person responsible for hiring the disaster that had just presented.

"That's irrelevant," William threw in, defending his friend. "Has anyone got anything more constructive to say?" He ignored the thankful look Charles threw him and looked back at a paper copy of the junior's presentation.

"His figures were too optimistic, his market research was appalling and the timescale he gave to complete the project was farcical; surely there is nothing else to say?" Another board member contributed, deftly throwing his copy of the presentation into the middle of the table.

"I…I'm appalled quite frankly. That is not the direction I think we should be taking. Schwebber have already tried this kind of campaign before and it didn't work for them. I'm thinking we need something more experimental – guerilla perhaps?"Charles drew a hand threw his blond hair and let out a deep sigh. He was a little ashamed that he had had a hand in hiring Mr. Cohen. He wanted to defend himself and tell the board that the guy had potential, but there was no way they'd believe him.

"Well we've heard a lot from everyone else, but what do you think William?" Michael had been watching Will throughout the meeting and kept throwing him surveying glances. It was unlike William not to wade in first and give his opinion before the other board members had a chance to think. It was also unlike William to doodle all over his notepad, when he should have been listening. Michael couldn't put his finger on it, but there something was distracting him.

Will didn't jump like other people would at being addressed directly. Will knew how important his decisions were to his company, so he slowly raised his gaze to meet Michael's cool stare and just he was about to answer Richard jumped it.

"Why are we even having this discussion? The guy's a pratt – next," Richard Fitzwilliam loudly interjected.

"You think a mime talks too much," William declared with a mutinous glare in his cousin's direction.

"Michael, I think it's all been said. Mr. Cohen delivered an idea that lacks vision. If we want to stay as the market leader, then we have to think like the market leader. We can't follow the line Schwebber, Hancock and Marks have drawn and if that means many more hours of brainstorming them that's what Charles and his team will have to do. We have ploughed millions into changing our company branding, message etc. but that's not enough anymore. We have to think big and then act enormous." William spoke with an air of authority. As he delivered his speech, he met the eye of each of the board before looking back at Michael.

"So what do you suggest?" Michael puffed out cheeks and exhaled slowly.

"Fresh meat," Richard fired.

"William, do you agree?" William nodded his head slowly at Michael. "Okay then, if we hire new talent can someone promise me it will be better than what we have just seen?" A murmur of affirmation rippled through the board and Michael smiled. "Right then, meeting adjourned. Thank you everyone – I'll see you all tonight. Will, Rich, can I have a word?"

Will and Rich stopped packing away and waiting for everyone to leave before shuffling up a few seats to sit around Michael.

"I trust everyone is set-up for tonight?"

Richard nodded, a smile erupting across his face. "You betcha. Mary from CoCo Events confirmed that everything is on schedule. The flowers arrived, the linen is out, the band is setting up and the guest list is confirmed. All we need now is the guest of honor. So when are you picking up Lizzy?" Michael grinned and looked to his Mont Blanc watch, "I'm going now. Her plane doesn't land until two, so I just wanted to check everything is in place. Thanks boys." Will flinched at the word boy, but let it pass – Michael was too set in his ways to change. Without a backwards glance Michael left the room with his PA shuffling after him; leaving the two 'boys' alone.

"I hate it when he calls us boys," William hissed.

"Would you prefer he called us girls?" Richard offered teasingly; earning him a swift punch in the shoulder. "Wow, steady on. Violence doesn't solve anything."

"It shut's you up though."

Richard simple shrugged his shoulders in response; it wasn't unlike them to argue. "God, I can't believe Lizzy's finally coming home. It doesn't feel like 10 years have passed."Richard commented.

"You look like they have." William murmured and.. Richard chuckled.

"Yeah well the years haven't been kind to you either my friend. Are you scared she's going to come back feeling the same about you?"

"What? What are you talking about?" William pretended to be confused.

"Don't play dumb with both know little Lizzy nursed a soft spot for you. What do you think she looks like?" Richard rested his chin in his hand and looked outside, pondering that.

"I'd wager she looks pretty much the same just 10 years older." William said sarcastically, whilst trying to avoid his cousin's knowing gaze.

"Well she's 21 now isn't she? Isn't that legal?"

"I hope you aren't insinuating I would even go there."

"Me…insinuate…never," Richard said dramatically. "Anyway, is Sarah coming with you tonight?"

William gently shook his head. "Nah, that's finished." He quickly glided out the room, making his way to the elevator; leaving Richard to follow him at a quick step.

"I'm not going to say I'm surprised, but why? She seemed pretty sweet to me. Surely she could've lived up to your impossibly high standards?" Richard mock bowed to William.

"Get up you idiot. My standards are not impossibly high. I don't think it's too much to expect some intelligent conversation in a relationship. And if it's not the low IQs, it's the money. Every woman I seem to attract wants access to my wallet. I've had enough with all of them." Will jabbed at the elevator call button a few times, until it protested and beeped at him.

"What happened? What did she say?" Richard asked.

"Oh it's nothing, she just expected to fork out for her numerous trips to Barneys. Buying gifts is one thing, but being asked to foot the bill for 6 pairs of those ridiculously expensive Manolo shoes and countless dresses, when we've only been dating a couple of weeks is a bit excessive."

"Ouch I'm with you on that one. Well just in case you're interested, I'm flying solo tonight as well."

"Oh yeah? How come?"

"Jessie has plans tonight. I didn't think it would be fair to ask her to cancel, so yeah…hey you can be my date!" Richard flung his arm around Will's shoulder and winked at him.

"No offense, but you don't meet my impossibly high standards," William replied with a sly smile, whilst shrugging off his cousin's arm. "And you're not my type."

Richard clutched at his chest and pretended to be affronted. In truth he was a very good looking man. He was of a medium build, a 5'11 frame and he had red hair with bottle green eyes.

"That hurt man! I'm everyone's type. Everyone loves a redhead," he declared before they separated and went into their respective offices.

JFK airport is one of the busiest in the world. Millions of people move through it every year and hundreds of people anxiously jog from one foot to the other at the arrival gates, as they wait for their loved ones to return home. Michael Bennet was currently one of them.

He had been standing here for 30 minutes now and still there was no sign of any passengers from Air France flight 893.

He anxiously jabbed at the keys on his Blackberry and continued to crane his neck to see above all the disappointing arrivals until he saw a familiar blond head. He wasn't sure at first, but then he noticed the piles of suitcases that were following her and he instantly knew it was his daughter's friend.

Anyone who knew Jane knew that she didn't understand the concept of packing light.

Sure enough, a few seconds later his beautiful brunette daughter emerged from behind the pile of suitcases; a wide eyed expectant look on her face as she scanned the crowd.

When Lizzy spotted him her eyes lit-up and a huge smile swept across her face. She quickly abandoned the card and pushed her way through the crowds to him.

"DADDY!" Lizzy didn't stop as she ran into her father's waiting arms. He enveloped her in a massive bear hug and held her tightly; silently saying a little prayer, thanking the big man upstairs for bringing her home.

"Welcome home sweet heart," Michael could barely speak through the emotion in his voice and so they just stood in each other's embrace until a pleasant little cough came from beside them.

"Sorry," Lizzy looked to Jane sheepishly. "It's been a long time." Lizzy wasn't sorry at all, her eyes were twinkling and she suddenly felt alive.

Michael simply laughed and kissed her cheek before turning his attention to Jane.

"Welcome to New York my dear," he took shook Jane's hand and vigorously shook it.

"Thanks Mr B. I'm excited to be here."

"I'm glad to hear it. I'm positive you will love New York: you certainly seemed to have packed for every eventuality." He arched his eyebrows and looked pointedly at her many suitcases. Lizzy laughed.

" Isn't that a model's motto Jane – be prepared?"Lizzy slung her arm around Jane's shoulder in a show of solidarity and winked at her.

"I'm pretty sure that's the boy scouts sweetheart." Michael said and they all laughed again. He motioned for someone to come and get their carts and two young boys eagerly raced up to help the 'damsels.'The one that got to Lizzy's cart first grinned at the other.

"Actually I'm kind of surprised that you packed so light Lizzy. How do you only have 3 suitcases? You were in the fashion capital of the world for 8 years and all you have to show for it are three tatty suitcases?" Lizzy took her father's arm and the three of them made their way out of the airport.

"Oh don't worry dad, I'm having the rest shipped over! Much easier that way," she responded with a serious expression on her face. He stopped suddenly to look at his daughter with a stunned expression on his face.

"Dad, I'm kidding. Oh my God, check out his face," Lizzy and Jane started laughing together at Michael as they climbed into the waiting car.

"So…what's new?" Lizzy settled into the leather upholstery and lay her head back.

"Darling, a lot has changed in ten years. How about we start small? Work is good. We're in the process of hiring a new marketing coordinator and Sue Fielding is pregnant."

"Are you serious? Sue… your PA Sue? Wow! When is she due?"

Michael shrugged and smiled sheepishly at his daughter; she would take care of the details.

"Dad you are terrible."

"I've been working."

"Yes I know, but you work with see her every day."

"Mr B, do you ever leave the office?" Jane teased good-naturally.

"Yes of course I do, it's just to sleep and ring my daughter." Michael smiled and pondered what else was going on. "Oh yes, Richard Fitzwilliam has a girlfriend, finally. You know there was a time when I thought he was gay."

Lizzy shrieked with laughter. "I know about his girlfriend. Her name is Jessie, short for Jessica."

Michael had a look of surprise on his face as he turned to her, "You weren't my only correspondent dad. Thank God for Nina. If it wasn't for her, I don't think I'd know anything about what was going on in New York."

"Oh!" Michael said. A hint of embarrassment coloring his cheek's "Well aside from the fact I'm a terrible gossip, Mr and Mrs Fitzwilliam have invited us over for dinner soon; what do you think? You can tell them yes or no at the party." "Party? That's tonight?" Lizzy asked.

"Don't tell me you forgot? Richard and William can't wait to see you."

"Yeah, it will be good to see them too. Have they changed?" Lizzy enquired, her cheeks colouring slightly at the thought og William.

"Well you will see tonight. When we get back I have to go back to work for a bit,but I will be back for dinner." Michael reassured them.

"So is this a formal event? Do we have to pull out the fancy dresses or is it more jeans and a fancy top?" Jane asked.

"Haute couture my friend. Drag out your Valentino and Louboutins – only the best will do. " Lizzy nudged Jane playfully and wiggled her eyebrows, causing the girls to start laughing.

"Ooohh I can't wait!" Jane clapped her hands together. "Oh, before I forget thanks again for letting me stay with you Mr. B. It shouldn't be too long beforeI find an apartment."

"Jane, dear, don't fret over it. Our home is big enough for you AND your luggage" he responded; adding a wink playfully.

They drove for a little while longer and finally pulled up in front of the Bennet townhouse. Jane climbed out and stared at the house in front of her. Her jaw dropped as she stood taking it in.

"Mon dieu Lizzy, how rich are you?" Lizzy laughed and grabbed her friends hand and ran up the stairs, dragging Jane behind her. When they reached the door, she let go of Jane's hand and threw the door open.

"Nina. Sam. I'm home!" Lizzy yelled.

Sam was just inside the door and he reached her first, with a big smile on his face.

"Welcome home Lizzy!" He gave her a hug.

"It's so good to see you again."She returned the hug before pulling away to smile up at him. She turned behind her and reached for Jane.

"Jane, this is Sam, he's worked for us for years."

"Nice to meet you Sam, I've heard so much about you. I feel like I know you already," Jane shook hands with Sam.

" Any friend of Lizzy is a friend of ours. Welcome to New York."

"Thanks! I'm happy to be here."

Michael interrupted to homecoming scene."Sam, I have to get back to the office. Please can you make sure my tux is picked up from the cleaners."

"Of course Mr Bennet. I'll get someone right on that."

Michael gave Lizzy a quick kiss on the cheek. "Bye honey, I'll be back, try to get some rest" She smiled at him.

" Don't work too hard!" Lizzy warned, causing Michael to chuckle as he walked out the door.

Lizzy and Jane made their way inside the house and towards the kitchen. They could hear someone doing the dishes and Lizzy ran forward eagerly calling out.

"Nina! I'm home," Lizzy ran into the kitchen and threw her arms around a small, wiry woman with gray hair and glasses. The woman's eyes shone with unshed tears as she hugged Lizzy. She had been a part of their family since before Lizzy was born and had acted as part housekeeper part surrogate mother to Lizzy after her own mother had passed on. Over the years Lizzy had come to her to have her tears wiped away, her feelings soothed, or her chest cleared after late night confessions over fresh baked cookies and mugs of Nina's steaming hot cocoa with its special secret ingredient. In Fact, Nina was the only one who Lizzy had confessed her feelings for William to.

"Welcome back my dear! It's been so lonely since you've been gone." Nina turned towards Jane who stood politely behind Lizzy, "and you must be the Jane that Lizzy has told us so much about. " Jane stepped forward and held out her hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you Mrs Giovanni," she said politely. The older woman ignored her hand and reached out to envelop her in a giant hug "None of that my dear, and please call me Nina. Everybody around here does." Jane smiled warmly at her.

"So are you young ladies hungry?" She moved towards the fridge and opened it, giving its contents a quick scan. "I can whip-up some breakfast for you if you like?"

"Umm…" Lizzy glanced at Jane, "I don't know about Jane, but I'm not really that hungry."

Jane sat down on a kitchen stool and shrugged her shoulders. "Neither am I."

Nina clucked her tongue. "What do you mean you're not hungry? Never you mind; I'm going to at least fix you a snack. My goodness the both of you could use some fattening up!" She began to remove some pastry and chicken from the freezer.

"You can't do that Nina, Jane's a model, she's got to stay skinny." Lizzy walked over to the pantry, careful not to get in Nina's way and after looking around for a minute, pulled out a box of crackers and hopped up onto the counter.

"I thought you weren't hungry?" Jane smirked at her. Lizzy just shrugged her shoulders and grinned at her before tossing up a cracker into the air and catching it in her mouth. Nina turned from the counter, where she was busy chopping up chicken and walked over to remove the box from Lizzy's hands

"Wha-" Lizzy protested.

"No junk right now, I'm fixing you something that will be better for you…more wholesome" Nina wagged her finger at Lizzy and put the crackers back into the pantry. "Now go sit beside Jane and wait."

Lizzy slid off the counter and walked over to where Jane sat. Jane smiled innocently up at her and Lizzy glared back.

"Nina, Jane wants extra cream in her pastry!" Lizzy smiled triumphantly at Jane, as Nina shook her head and started chopping vegetables.

Later that evening, after dinner (from which Michael was noticeably absent) the girls began to tackle the problem of what to wear.

"I'm was thinking of wearing this emerald green Prada. What do you think?" Jane held up a beautiful sleeveless dress with very thin straps and a slit that was just high enough to be tasteful.

"You'll be beautiful no matter what you wear," Lizzy was lying on the bed in Jane's room, her head propped up by one hand.

"Lizzy I'm serious." Jane lowered her arms causing the dress to fold up against the floor. "This is my first social event in my new hometown, and I want it to be perfect" Jane pouted and once again held up the dress in front of her friend. Lizzy simply rolled her eyes and sat upto give Jane her undivided attention.

"That dress is beautiful and it brings out your eyes. Wear it." Lizzy tilted her head to the side and eyed the dress critically, before nodding vigorously in approval.

"Good, now onto the hard part - what are you going to wear?" Jane draped the dress over a chair and started to go through her massive shoe collection. Lizzy got off the bed and joined her.

"Oh just some blue dress I picked up a couple of months ago," she idly picked up a blue shoe and turned it around in her hand before putting it back.

"Have I seen it?" Jane asked.

Lizzy shook her head, "I don't think so."

"How do you have a dress that I haven't seen?" Jane dropped her shoes and turned towards Lizzy.

"Maddie got it for me. Remember that day in March when you had the flu and Maddie took me shopping?"

"How about these?" Jane held up a pair of silver peep-toe pumps.

"Looks like you found your shoes Cinderella, now all you need is your Prince Charming."

"Maybe we'll both meet our Prince Charming's tonight." Jane winked at Lizzy, "but you need to get dressed first." Jane pushed Lizzy out the room. "Now go or we'll be late."

"Yes mom!" Lizzy shot a cheeky smile at Jane and swiftly left before the shoe her friend threw hit her.

Getting to her own room Lizzy sank onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She couldn't admit to Jane, but her stomach did somersaults every time she thought about tonight.


	5. Author's Note

**Hi guys, first up, I just wanted to say that I'm REAAAALLLLYYY sorry for the uber long hiatus. I have no excuse other than life just getting in the way. But yeah, so my beta is on a break for now and so if anyone is interested in helping out, please message me, I'd really appreciate it. I have chapters 5, 6 and 7 done, just need a beta…**

**Thanx!**  
**~Newbie**


	6. Chapter 4

**Thank you everyone who volunteered to beta for me! Sorry I coudn't pick all of you...**

**And thanx to my new betas MAB35 and ladyamadaun for all their help and suggestions! Alright, not finally back to the story!**

Chapter 4

It was a perfect September evening, the weather being neither too hot, or too cold. Outside the Plaza Hotel, one by one, New York's elite climbed out of their limousines decked out in designer clothes to enter the beautiful building. Inside, waiters in crisp uniforms, circled the room holding trays of champagne and canapes. The room buzzed with conversation and laughter as guests milled about entertaining themselves. There was one man, however, refraining form the merrymakers. Will stood alone with a glass of champagne, surveying the room with a bored expression, ignoring the appreciative looks thrown in his direction. Clad in his favorite Armani , Will was the very definition of debonair. He hated these parties and was counting the hours before he could make a polite exit.

"Hey, there you are" Charles Bingley joined his friend holding two glasses of champagne. "When did you get here?" Will glanced at his watch before answering him.

"About 20 minutes ago."

Charles chuckled, "Wow, and you're bored already! That's gotta be some sort of record, even for YOU!" Will made a face at him but didn't contradict him. He silently offered Will the second glass he carried but his friend declined, showing his own glass which was still half full. Charlie looked at the 2 drinks in his hand and glanced around for somewhere to dispose of one but he couldn't find a passing waiter. He sighed and took a sip from his drink.

"Oh, before I forget, thanks for your help today at that meeting. You totally saved my ass. If it wasn't for you, I think Sean would have chewed me out." Charles was a jovial young man and was unfailingly polite and had a smile for everyone. However he didn't have much of a backbone and would have had a hard time standing up to the more severe members of the board.

"Don't worry about it Chuck, it was an honest mistake, could have happened to anybody." Will, always uncomfortable being the subject of praise, brushed his friend off.

"Where's Richard?" Sensing Will's discomfort, Charles changed the subject.

"Have no fear boys, I'm right here," Richard strode up to them with a grin on his face and swiftly took the second glass from Charles's hand. "I didn't miss anything did I? Apart from Will's boredom I mean."

"Nope," Charles laughed out loud, causing a few heads to turn in their direction.

"Ahh, then we're right on schedule" Richard slapped his cousin on the back then took a sip of his drink. Will glared at them both.

"Don't you guys have anything better to do?. Like helping Chuck find the next love of his life?" He neatly changed the subject.

"Hey I'm not that bad!" Charles protested.

"Uhhh, yes you are my friend" Richard retorted "You fall for practically every blonde who smiles at you. And that's not a small number. For some reason they seem drawn to you and your pretty boy looks"

"You're just jealous that I get all the women" Charles winked at him.

"Dude, you look like you belong in a boy band. Any woman who wants _that_ isn't my type." Charles was tall and lanky with curly blonde hair and blue eyes. "Besides," Richard continued. "Need I remind you that I already have an amazing woman? If anyone's jealous, it's Will. Sure when women see him they swoon but then he opens his mouth and they run away"

"Okay, first of all, I'm not jealous. Chuck and I don't exactly go for the same type of women. And secondly, there is nothing wrong with having high standards. When I find my perfect woman, you guys will be drooling with envy" Will defended himself. Richard snorted,

"More like IF you find your perfect woman. I mean, does she even exist- uh-oh heads up heads up, Billy Anderson is walking in this direction. Quick, act like we're have a serious discussion so he won't join us." Richard hissed quickly schooling his expression. Charles and Will also began to frown and Richard started to go on about random information, in an attempt at faking a boring conversation. Billy, a short, somewhat round young man with greasy hair and an annoying personality, saw this and quickly made a beeline towards the other clusters of people who were more animated than the three angry men.

"Whew, that was close" Richard spoke up as soon as he was sure that they were safe from Billy. "Now, where were we? Oh yeah, Will's standards."

"You know Will, Caroline's still available and interested." Charles suggested with a twinkle in his eye. Caroline was Charles's sister and she had been after Will since the first time she laid eyes on him. Charles had met Will at college where the two roomed together and they had been best friends ever since. The friendship between the two was an interesting one, Charles depended heavily on Will's advice but at the same time, was always the one to get him to loosen up a little. As far as Caroline was concerned, he was her ticket to fame and his close friendship with her brother meant she had first dibs on him. He had everything she was looking for in a man: money, connections and looks. Caroline was the definition of social climber and would do anything to move in New York's upper circles. However, she was mean, vindictive, spoiled and arrogant. All the things Will hated, all balled up together to form this woman who he couldn't stand but made an effort to tolerate because of his friendship with Charles. Despite Will's aloof behavior and Charles many blunt attempts and dissuading her, Caroline would not give up.

"Yeah sure I'll give her a call" Will replied sarcastically as he drained the last of his champagne. The men laughed together. Will looked up and suddenly met the eyes of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She looked vaguely familiar, with dark, shiny curls cascading down her back. The one shoulder, blue gown was a perfect fit, clinging to her in all the right places. She was not fat but not overly thin either. Her eyes twinkled as she smiled coyly at him and he could have sworn she winked at him. Who was this bold woman? He found himself more intrigued by this woman than he had ever been by any other before. There was just something about her, he couldn't put his finger on . His cousin's voice broke through his trance.

"Speaking of Caroline, where is she tonight? This is one of those shindigs she's always dying to attend" Richard asked Charles curiously. Will blinked a few times and tried to concentrate on the conversation on hand.

"Uhh, she couldn't make it. She had other plans." Charles looked into his empty glass as he answered Richard's question, refusing to make eye contact. Richard stared at him for a minute.

"You didn't tell her about it did you?"

"Nope," Charles admitted lightly. Richard whistled. "Bold move man."

"I know, she's going to kill me" Charles sighed. "Anyway, where's Michael? Shouldn't he be here by now?" Will shrugged.

"He probably is. We haven't exactly been keeping track of everyone have we?"

"So what's Lizzy like? Is she cute?" Charles asked.

"Forget it man, she's not blonde and besides, she's too young for you" Will snapped back quickly. Richard smirked.

"Plus you're not her type" he told Charles, "Will's more her kind of guy"

"How do you know that?" Charles asked. Will groaned.

"Richard drop it. I mean it" he threatened. His cousin ignored him.

"She had the biggest crush on him for years. She didn't do anything about it, just sort of hero worshipped him. It was really cute. Will was all embarrassed." Charles laughed.

"Was she annoying about it?"

Richard shook his head.

"No way man, she's a great kid. Really sweet and funny. Always a good sport, no matter how much we teased her."

"We?" Will raised an eyebrow, "I never teased her, that was all you. For some twisted reason you loved annoying her" Richard chuckled reminiscently,

"Yeah...what can I say, I know an easy target when I see one. Lizzy's like the sister I never had. I'd trade Andrew for her any day" Richard made a face as he referred to his older brother who was a plastic surgeon living in LA.

"Hasn't really grown out of his jerkiness yet, has he?" Will inquired lightly. Richard shook his head with a fierce gleam in his eye.

"Last Christmas he told Jessi he could give her a nose job that would do wonders for her." Charles and Will winced.

"Ouch…What did Jessi do? It's not like her to take shit like that" Charles remarked.

"She's not...let's just say Andrew's lucky I managed to get her away before she was able to inflict any bodily harm, particularly to the area God only meant to be treated nicely!" The three men laughed at this.

"I dunno man," Charlie continued, "if I were you I'd…" He broke off mid-sentence, staring at someone in the distance, his mouth slightly open.

"Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?" Richard asked in confusion. He glanced around trying to see what it was that made Charlie react so strongly. Will shook his head slowly not bothering to do even that much.

"Looks like our boy Chuck has found his next leading lady. I wonder how long this one will last" he muttered in a rueful voice.

"Shut up Will. Damn she is amazing! Who is she?"

"Who are you looking at?" Richard craned his head, almost frantically trying to see who could catch Charlie's attention so completely. "Oh hey, there's Lizzy. Wow, she grew up good!" Richard raised his eyebrows in surprise. William turned around to look at where Richard was gazing. His jaw dropped in astonishment and his stomach did a flip. Walking towards him was the gorgeous brunette he had noticed before. Will couldn't help but stare as she slowly walked towards them. '_That _ was _Lizzy_?' Charlie's puzzled voice broke through his reverie,

"Huh? THAT'S Lizzy? I thought you said she wasn't blonde."

"What are you talking about, she's not-ohhh I see your blonde now. No, Lizzy is the brunette walking with her. Now stop drooling, they're coming over here," Richard murmured, careful not to let his voice carry. Sure enough, the two women slowly made their way over. As they drew closer, William noticed that Lizzy was even more breathtaking up close. Her smooth skin was so translucent it seemed to glow, her beautiful eyes, bright and full of humor brought to mind the ocean near Hawaii, and her long smooth throat was adorned by a simple, yet tasteful diamond necklace that matched the diamond studs in her ears and her tennis bracelet. Will swallowed hard and tried to look away, not wanting anyone to notice his discomposure.

"Lizzy!" Richard stepped forward as the women reached them and enveloped her into a bear hug, lifting her off the ground for a minute. She laughed good-naturedly.

"Good to see you too, Richard!" Lizzy stepped away from him with a huge smile on her face and turned towards Will.

"Hi!" She reached for him. Will managed to smile and quickly embraced her, enjoying the lightly floral perfume she wore.

"It's been way too long Lizzy" Will said, still smiling at her.

"I know, I know, I keep hearing that from everyone!" Lizzy stepped back and grinned up at him.

"Seriously Squirt, why the self imposed exile? Did you piss off the Mafia or something?" Lizzy made a face at Richard.

"Very funny Ritchie. What choice did I have? My dad was always traveling around the holidays, so if he got a chance he would just stop by in France. It's not like you guys were ever around for the holidays. Did you expect me to join you at Lady C's ?"

Richard shuddered, "Point taken, wouldn't wish that on anyone" Lizzy laughed again, this time joined by Will and Charlie. Having , met William and Richard's overbearing aunt, Lady Catherine they knew that spending any time in her presence was definitely not something one volunteered for. Only Jane was left out of the loop as she stood politely smiling, waiting for her friend to make the introductions. Thankfully Lizzy remembered her manners right away.

"Oh sorry, Jane. I completely forgot. These are my friends William Darcy and his cousin Richard Fitzwilliam. They work with my Dad. Guys, this is my best friend and now roommate, Jane Lafontaine. She just moved here to start her first job as a model." Jane politely shook each of their hands as Lizzy pointed them out and turned towards Charlie with an expectant look on her face.

William turned towards him as well and spoke up, "This is Charles Bingley, a friend and co-worker. Chuck this is Lizzy Bennet, Michael's daughter." Charlie shook their hands but seemed unable to tear his eyes away from Jane, who blushed at this attention.

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Lizzy answered, her voice wavering with suppressed laughter.

"Charlie, stop staring, you're embarrassing the poor girl" Richard interrupted with a roll of his eyes. Jane turned even redder at this and Charlie smiled sheepishly at the rest of them. Lizzy laughed and Will tried to ignore the way his stomach flipped at the melodious sound.

"Don't worry, Charlie; she's used to it by now. It's no wonder Victoria's Secret snapped her up right away" She gave Jane a quick wink.

"Hush Lizzy!" Jane cried out before Lizzy could continue. Luckily Michael walked up right then,

"Ahh, Lizzy, I see you've met up with the 3 stooges." The men snickered. "Now, gentlemen…and lady," he bowed his head towards Jane before continuing, "If you'll excuse us, Lizzy needs to make the rounds." He put his arm around his daughter's waist and led her away to her social obligations. Lizzy made a face at everyone before walking away.

"Ha, Ha!" mocked Richard in a sing song voice, "You can't hide in the corner anymore! Have fun." Lizzy turned back with a pathetic look on her face and mouthed the words: 'save me!' Will and Richard chuckled at this before turning back to see Jane and Charlie making their way to the dance floor. Richard smirked at Will. Well, looks like he didn't waste anytime did he?"

"Never does" Will remarked, not surprised by his friend's actions. The pair stood quietly and watched as more and more couples made their way to the dance floor.

"Wonder where my parents are" Richard muttered quietly, almost to himself.

"Mmmh" Will wasn't really paying any attention. He looked around the room slowly, not admitting even to himself what he was looking for. His eyes stopped when he spotted Lizzy standing with her father and talking to another long time friend, George Knightley. He watched as the trio spoke animatedly together and he couldn't help but notice with a smile that Lizzy's eyes sparkled when she was happy. Will shook his head a little as if to clear his thoughts. He wasn't used to feeling like this and it made him uncomfortable.

"What's up" Richard noticed his cousin's actions. Will looked away from Lizzy quickly, and towards Richard,

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"Why are you shaking your head?"

"I'm not."

"Right, and I'm guessing you weren't staring at Lizzy and smiling to yourself either," Richard smirked. Will looked away, hoping his cousin wouldn't notice the red tinge creeping onto his face.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He tried to sound detached but failed miserably

"Come on man, I'm not blind. You couldn't look away. It was Charlie and Jane all over again"

"Shut up Richard, you're delusional" He snapped back.

"Relax Will, she's not a kid. She's 21 and she's beautiful. I can understand the attraction"

"I was looking at George and remembering something he told me earlier, alright?" Will glared at Richard, who shrugged in return.

"Sure man, keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better."

"Why would I be staring at Lizzy? She's a kid, probably a spoiled one with nothing to do but shop and spend daddy's money like all the other girls her age we meet!" Will growled, letting his anger get the better of him. What neither of them noticed was that Lizzy was within hearing range and caught the last part of their conversation. They also missed the hurt and anger on her face as she walked away, resolved to keep her distance for the rest of the night.


	7. Chapter 5

**Thanx to my awesome betas Mab35 and ladyamadaun. This is a short chapter, sorry guys, but the next one will be longer. **

Chapter 5

Lizzy kept a polite smile on her face and stared out the window for the whole ride home. For some reason, she didn't want Jane or her father to know about the conversation she had inadvertently overheard. She had a flat let down feeling. Before the party, she was feeling a degree of excitement that she couldn't explain. She had taken more time to get dressed than usual, putting in more effort than she ever had before. What had she been expecting? That he would take one look at her and realize that she was a woman, the woman of his dreams? And why would she even want that? She was over her silly school girl crush! He had no power over her anymore…or did he? She hated that she couldn't answer that question, even to herself. She shook her head as if to rid herself of these thoughts and instead she turned to listen to Jane gush about what a wonderful time she had and Michael's gracious acceptance of her gratitude at being included. As soon as they were home, Lizzy rushed to her room, claiming to be tired , first by the journey home and then the evening's entertainment. She managed to refrain from slamming the door and kicked off her shoes. With hurried movements, she removed her gown, threw it haphazardly onto a nearby chair and changed into a tank top and shorts. She moved quickly across the room into the washroom to scrub off her makeup and brush her teeth. Lizzy opened the door and switched off the light and began to make her way towards her bed. But something made her stop for a minute and suppress a sigh. There sat Jane on the bed in a bathrobe and slippers on her feet. Normally, Lizzy would have welcomed a late night post-party gab fest with Jane but tonight she was hoping to just crawl into bed and forget all about it.

"Took you long enough!" Jane sat up with her back against the headboard, her knees pulled up against her chest and her hands clasped around them.

"And here I thought I was being speedy Gonzalez" Lizzy murmured, picking up a brush from her vanity and flopping onto the bed.

"Who?" the confused look on her friend's face reminded Lizzy that she had been raised in France and therefore was unaware of a lot of the slang Lizzy was used to using while at home.

"Nothing, never mind...so, your first American party...success huh?

"Oh yes! Lizzy it was perfect, the place was beautiful and everyone was so nice"

"But not as nice as Charlie?" Lizzy cut in with a knowing smile on her face. Sure enough Jane blushed and looked as though she was thinking of someone far away.

"He is everything I ever wanted in a man. He is sweet and kind and thoughtful and an amazing dancer…"

"He's cute too" Lizzy interrupted with a grin "that always helps".

Jane giggled. "Yes, he is very handsome, more than anyone I have ever seen."

Lizzy raised her eyebrows, "Really?" she tried her best not to sound skeptical. She found him cute and everything but the best looking guy around, he was not, not according to Lizzy. But it was obvious by the expression on Jane's face that she thought so.

"I dunno, I've always been more into the tall dark and handsome type." Lizzy ran the brush through her curls absent-mindedly.

"But...Marc wasn't exactly very tall. He was shorter than Richard." Jane reminded her gently. Marc Andre was Lizzy's ex-boyfriend from France. The only relationship she had been in during her stay abroad. Lizzy shrugged.

"Well a girl doesn't always get what she wants. Unless she's a gorgeous lingerie model" She winked at her friend. Jane stuck her tongue out, but didn't comment and the two friends sat in silence for a minute. Lizzy decided to change the subject before Jane could question her more on her taste in men. "So did you meet any one else tonight that you see yourself becoming friendly with?"

Jane thought for a moment before answering slowly," I don't know. There were a few people that I would like to get to know better but who knows? How about you? Did you get to catch up with everyone that you wanted to?" Lizzy shook her head,

"No, my childhood best friend Emma wasn't there. She's out of town right now and couldn't make it back on time. But George told me she should be back soon. She's a designer."

"Cool... wait, which one was George again?" Jane furrowed her eyebrows, trying to put a face to the name.

"He was the tall guy with brown hair, brown eyes, doctor, really nice" Lizzy prompted.

"Ohhhh, the brain surgeon. He was nice"

"I'm surprised you remember any man other than Charlie" Lizzy teased. Jane grabbed the pillow beside her and threw it at Lizzy's face. Lizzy caught it easily and laughed.

"Dude, your aim sucks. You're lucky you're pretty."

"Whatever...tell me about Emma. Will I like her?"

"You'll love her. She's amazing. I mean she's my age, really beautiful and funny and we've been best friends since kindergarten. You could never tell by the way she acts that she's crazy rich."

"Wow..are you sure she exists? Sounds like you're describing yourself."

"Oh wow, aren't you hilarious" Lizzy rolled her eyes at her friend before continuing. "She's always been into fashion and then a few years back she started her own company when she was only 18. She's been crazy busy which is why you haven't met her yet, but I've managed to keep in touch. Gotta love the internet." She finished with a wry grin. Jane smiled back and reached out to squeeze her hand.

"So where was she tonight?"

"LA. She had to oversee something in her boutique there. I'm kinda surprised you haven't heard of her"

"Seriously? She's that big?" Lizzy nodded and the two sat quietly for a while, each lost in their own thoughts, until Jane moved to get off the bed.

"It's getting late. I'm tired. Why did your dad decide to throw the party on the day we arrived? Why not wait until tomorrow or even next week?,"

Lizzy rolled her eyes, "Probably because he's going out of town tomorrow for business as usual"

Janeshe raised her fist to cover a yawn. "Oh…ok well, I'll see you in the morning"

"Yeah sure. Goodnight Jane"

"Bon nuit Cherie." She trudged quietly to the door and let herself out. As the door shut behind her friend, Lizzy reached down to grab the duvet and cover herself. She flopped her head onto the pillow. Alone in the dark she allowed her mind to wander to the subject that had been tormenting her subconscious for the better part of the evening. What had she said or done to make Will think she was a spoiled socialite? She had always tried to stay away from the type of people who coasted through life with no goals or purpose, taking for granted their wealth and acting like their last names meant they could have anything or do anything they wanted. It bothered her that he would think she was like that. Lizzy didn't want to admit she was hurt. She didn't want to admit he had that power over her still. She preferred to focus on being angry:

_who __does he think he is to judge me? He hasn't seen me for 8 years, and in 1 short conversation he has me pegged and wrongly too! Well I'll show him! Will Darcy will see that I'm no spoiled brat!_ _Spending dad's money..how would he know?What, did he do, sneak into Paris and secretly follow me around whenever I went shopping? Because even if he had done that, he'd still have nothing on me! And even if I did, it's none of his business! Oh it's not like he hasn't slept with his share of floozies. Every woman he's ever been with was an airhead. He's probably with one right now. Not that I care of course…_

She didn't want to admit to herself the feelings that had rushed back at the sight of him. He was still the gorgeous man she had left behind all those years ago But he had never been mean before. She hated that she still felt butterflies in her stomach when he hugged her or that the sound of his laugh made her feel giddy. No, she wasn't going to allow this to happen! She was just going to focus on how big of a jerk he had turned into. Lizzy sighed and turned over to her side, tucking her hands under her cheek. It was going to be a busy weekend and she didn't have time to ponder over Will's attitude. That could always be done at another time.


	8. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay guys...anyways, here is chapter 6 and once again thanx to my awesome betas, mab35 and ladyamadaun**

Chapter 6

Lizzy stood in front of the full length mirror in her room, with her head tilted to the side as she screwed on the back of her earring. The task, which would normally take about 15 seconds, was slowed by her trembling hands.

"Crap!" she exclaimed as fumbling she dropped the earring. Kneeling down she quickly picked it up, muttering to herself something about butterfingers.

"Relax, you'll be fine" Jane reassured in a soothing voice from a chair beside the mirror, dressed in her robe and slippers with her hair tied back in a messy bun. Her long elegant fingers were wrapped around a mug of steaming hot coffee.

"How can I relax? It's my first day and I have to present my ideas to the board in a couple of hours! _And _my father won't even be there!" Michael had left for yet another business trip earlier that morning.

"Yes but this is your company. They can't fire you. If anything, you could be their boss if you chose" Jane still found it confusing that Elizabeth chose to start at the bottom of the proverbial food chain.

"WelI, I WANT to work my way up. I want to earn my way to the top...and then when the times comes that I have to take over my dad's position, I'll know that I'm worthy of it." Lizzy smoothed down the front of her top and buttoned her suit jacket. "Open or closed?" she turned towards her friend. Jane pursed her lips and thought for a minute before answering confidently,

"Closed. More professional." She paused for a minute. "Are you ready for your presentation?"

"I worked on it all weekend." Lizzy sighed. "If I'm not ready now, I'll never be ." She nodded at her reflection before turning to Jane. She reached out and plucked the mug out of a protesting Jane's hands and took a hearty sip before grimacing,

"Yech! Needs way more cream and sugar. This stuff is gross." Lizzy thrust the drink back at Jane who laughed and stuck out her tongue. She reached for her handbag, checking to make sure that her wallet and keys were inside.

"I've gotta get going. Are you going to be okay?" She asked Jane as she grabbed her portfolio from her dresser and made her way to the door.

"Yes yes don't worry about me. I have a meeting with my agent today and then I'll come straight to your office to pick you up for lunch"

"Sounds good" Lizzy glanced around the room to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything before reaching for the doorknob. "Wish me luck!"

"You don't need it, you're amazing" Jane replied confidently. Lizzy turned to grin at her one more time before she walked out of the room and made her way out of the house and towards her car.

Darcy was in a bad mood. He sat in his office, shuffling papers irritably trying to get everything together for the meeting. There was yet another new marketing executive and he was in no mood to humor another fresh faced, idealistic graduate. The phone on his desk buzzed.

"Yes Sarah?"

"Mr. Darcy, the meeting will be starting in 10 minutes." The voice was crisp and professional.

"Thank you" Darcy stood up quickly, reached for a folder and walked out of his office. "If Anna calls, patch her through" He called over his shoulder to his secretary. She raised her eyebrow but remained silent. It wasn't like him to accept phone calls during meetings, even if it was his sister.

Darcy walked briskly to the conference room, his usual stern expression in place. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his cousin approaching him and slowed down.

"Hey man" Richard caught up to him quickly, "So you free for lunch after this?" Darcy scoffed. "You really think this meeting is going to last that long?" Richard raised his eyebrows at him.

"Come on" Darcy continued. "It's going to be another kid with unrealistic ambitions and we're going to spend about 10 minutes shooting down his amateur ideas and then we'll call it a day. But yeah, I'm up for lunch later" Richard laughed.

"I dunno man, maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised" he said mysteriously. Darcy turned to look suspiciously at his cousin.

"Why? What do you know?"

Richard just shrugged, "Me nothing…why?" He quickened his step before calling out, "Well look who's here!"

Darcy looked up and almost froze in shock. There stood Lizzy having an earnest conversation with his uncle and Charlie. She had straightened her hair and pulled it back in a ponytail and she wore a pencil skirt with a jacket and high heels. She was the epitome of professionalism and yet she looked more beautiful than the last time he had seen her. He swallowed hard and followed his cousin.

"Well well well…if it isn't Little Lizzy Bennet" Richard smirked at her. Lizzy looked up at the pair who had just joined them. After regarding Darcy coolly she turned to Richard and sighed. But before she could say anything Sean spoke up.

"Now Richard, no need to draw attention to _your_ old age. No one who sees her now would call her Little Lizzy anymore." He winked at her and walked into the conference room. Richard shook his head.

"I see you've won over my old man already. Nicely done squirt."

Lizzy glared at him. "Richard, I swear to God, if you call me that at work, you _will_ be sorry." She threatened before turning and walking into the conference room. Richard and Charlie chuckled. Neither of them noticed Darcy's confusion.

"Hold on, what is she doing here?" Darcy broke in. Charlie looked at him incredulously.

"Didn't Richard tell you? Lizzy's the new marketing exec. She's running this meeting."

Darcy's eyes widened in surprise as he followed the others into the room and took his usual seat. Lizzy stood at the head of the table, her hands clasped in front of her, waiting patiently for everyone to take their seats. In front of her was a stack of folders. Once everyone was seated she passed out the folders and began her presentation. Darcy flipped through the papers in front of him, not really seeing the words in front of him. He was too distracted to focus on anything at the moment. _Lizzy was working here?_ Was she even qualified or was the entire department going to be doing overtime trying to clean up her mess? What was she talking about now? Oh great, _rebranding!_ Like that would be easy! He stopped paying attention on what she was saying and just sat gazing at her, noticing the way she moved her hands as she spoke, the expressions on her face. He felt his cousin nudge him and realized that Lizzy had finished speaking and all he remembered from her presentation was rebranding! He looked around and noticed that all eyes were on him. He flipped through the papers in front of him and without thinking, blurted out.

"You seem very optimistic Ms. Bennet. However I feel the results you are aiming for are a bit unrealistic. And rebranding can be very tricky and expensive and if not done right, epic failures. The point is to make money, not lose it." Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Charlie raise his eyebrows and realized how condescending he was being._ What was wrong with him? Why did this mean side always come out when it came to Lizzy_?-Darcy thought to himself

Lizzy looked at him with wide eyes before continuing,

"It may seem unrealistic to you Mr. Darcy but I have worked on projects that have produced even better results than these, in fact I considered myself to be a little on the cautious side in this case. Rebranding _is _tricky but not impossible with well established companies such as this one."

"With all due respect Ms. Bennet, this is not some school assignment, this is the real world." Richard let out a small cough before his father interrupted what seemed to be the beginning of an ugly spat.

"Okay you two, let's let others weigh in on this." There was silence as everyone slowly perused the papers in front of them, re-checking the numbers. All that could be heard was the shuffling of papers. Sean raised his head and broke the silence. "Personally Elizabeth, I'm impressed. IF you can make this happen, it could mean even bigger things for the company. You've got my vote." Lizzy smiled at him.

"I agree with Sean, just don't rush into anything, and take your time. What did Michael say about this?" Steven Miller, another member asked.

"He's reserving his observations until after you all have given yours," Lizzy answered. A few others joined in with their approving comments. Darcy sat silently, not making eye contact with Lizzy.

"Okay so once we get Michael's okay on this, we can put it to test," Charlie spoke up. Slowly everyone got up and walked out of the room. Darcy didn't move. Lizzy gathered her things and stalked out of the room and still he sat frozen.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Richard swiveled his char around to face Darcy and spoke up once the room had been emptied. Darcy looked at him, pretending to be confused.

"What?"

"What do you mean _what_? Will, that was an awesome presentation. Lizzy did an amazing job and you ripped into her for no reason." Darcy shrugged, trying to maintain a nonchalant appearance.

"She needs to learn. Just because she's the boss's daughter doesn't mean everything is going to come easy for her."

"So...what, you were trying to prepare her for the assholes of the world?" Darcy gave him a look, "Because I gotta say, you did a good job of that man. You really pissed her off." Richard pushed his chair back and stood up. Darcy copied his actions.

"Was she really mad?" he asked quietly. Richard just looked at him.

"What do you think man? I mean, I'd understand if you had a point but you totally attacked her for no reason. You didn't even follow the presentation…and don't say you did, I was watching you." They walked down the hall towards their offices.

"Should I apologize?" Darcy asked. Richard shook his head, "Nah, better let her cool off a bit first. Plus, we have to meet Charlie for lunch now. See? It took longer than you'd assumed."

"But where do I find her after lunch?" Darcy asked nervously.

"Her office is up here loser" He stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby.

"It is?" the surprise was evident in Darcy's voice

Richard shook his head, "Man, where have you been? Michael insisted that she have an office up here with the rest of us. Lizzy wanted a cubicle with all the other new hires but he wouldn't hear of it. He's grooming her to take over. She wanted to start at the bottom. Something about working her way to the top."

Darcy couldn't help but be impressed by all this. He glanced at his cousin and could see from his expression that Richard was impressed as well. He had a look of pride on his face, as though, he was happy about the way Lizzy had grown up, despite being far away from their influence.

"Wow" he said quietly.

"Yeah...I guess she's not the average spoiled socialite after all eh?" The elevator door opened and they walked out to see Charlie standing with Jane…and Lizzy.

"There you are!" he turned to them and smiled.

Lizzy stormed out of the conference and made her way to her office. She hadn't had time to go there before and so she had no idea where it was and had to ask someone for directions. She followed the instructions and found herself in the executive corridor. _'leave it to dad to give me an office with the rest of senior management!_', Lizzy thought to herself. She found the door that had her name on the plaque. A young woman, not much older than Lizzy, sat at a desk just outside the door. She stood when Lizzy approached .

"Good morning Ms. Bennet!"

"Umm good morning…I'm sorry, who are you?" The woman smiled indulgently at her.

"I'm Susan Fields, your secretary" Lizzy looked at her, perplexed.

"I'm sorry but there must be a mistake, I didn't hire a secretary. I don't even need one." She walked over to her office door.

"Mr. Bennet told me you might say that. He instructed me to tell you to get used to it." Lizzy snapped her head around.

"Wait, my father hired you?" Susan nodded, still smiling. Lizzy sighed.

"Fine. Whatever. I'll be in here if you need me" She turned the knob and walked in to her office. She shut the door before turning to take in her surroundings. It was a beautiful room with ceiling to floor windows taking up the entire wall behind an expensive looking mahogany desk and leather chair. A laptop was open on the desk and her nameplate gleamed in the sunlight, next to a telephone. There was a bookshelf over in the corner full of books and a small table with 4 chairs. Beside the door was a small sofa. Lizzy dropped her bag onto the sofa before walking over to her desk and laughed out loud. Her father had placed a few photos on her desk. There were candid shots of herself with her father (which she would never have chosen to put on her desk, way too embarrassing!), shots with Jane and one of her mother cradling a baby Lizzy close to her chest and smiling at the camera. It was her favorite one. She turned to look out the window. The view showed central park and was beautiful. Lizzy felt a tug at her heartstrings. Her father had gone all out for her. It _almost _made up for the fact that he had missed her first day. She sighed again and sat down at her desk. Her anger came back to her. How could Will be such a jerk? He talked to her like she was a child, and tried to undermine her intelligence. She was furious with him and was resolved to show him what she was made of. She was a Bennet! She opened her top drawer and put her filed her portfolio away before turning on her laptop. Looking around, she noticed another door in the corner. Curious, she got up and walked over to open it, revealing a washroom. She walked in and turned on the faucet. Quickly she splashed her face with some cold water, hoping it would help dissipate some of her ire. She looked in the mirror. Water was dripping from her face. She grabbed a towel and quickly patted it dry. She walked back to her desk but before she could sit down, the intercom on her phone buzzed.

"Excuse me Ms. Bennet, but there is a Ms. Lafontaine here to see you"

"Oh yes, please send her in" Lizzy closed the laptop just as Jane walked in looking glamorous as usual even in something as casual as skinny jeans and an off the shoulder sweater.

"Wow! This is nice!" She looked around the room in awe. Lizzy smiled

"Courtesy of dad. As usual…ready to go?" She grabbed her bag. Jane nodded.

"Oh I forgot to tell you. I hope you don't mind but I ran into Charlie on my way up and I invited him to lunch with us. Please say it's ok!" She pleaded. Lizzy grinned.

"Would it make a difference if I said it wasn't ok? Jane's smile faded slowly making Lizzy laugh out loud,

"I'm kidding! Of course I don't mind…Let's go, I'm starving!" She rushed out of the office, followed closely by Jane. She paused at Susan's desk.

"I'm going out for lunch, I'll be back in an hour. Would you like me to bring you something?" Susan smiled at her,

"No thank you, Ms. Bennet, I'm all set. Would it be okay if I took my break as well?"

"Of course, I'm not expecting any calls." She waved her hand before walking with Jane to the elevator. She stepped in and pressed the button.

"Oh, by the way, how was your meeting?" Jane asked enthusiastically, "Did you wow them?" Lizzy turned to glare at her.

"Will Darcy was such a jerk to me! He spoke to me like I was 12 years old. I hate him!"

"Why what did he say?" Jane asked in surprise. Lizzy shook her head,

"Forget about it, I'll tell you at home, I don't want to get into it right now. However, everyone else loved my ideas" Jane clapped her hands together.

"That's wonderful! I knew you could do it!" the doors pinged open and they walked out. Charlie was already waiting and he grinned when he saw them.

"Hi Elizabeth! I hope you don't mind me crashing your lunch." Lizzy grinned back at him,

"Not at all Charlie and my friends get to call me Lizzy"

"So shall we go?" Jane asked Charlie. He shook his head.

"Sorry, I'm still waiting for a couple of friends. They'll be joining us too." He paused, "That's okay right?" Lizzy bit her tongue to stop herself from stating the obvious; _it's a little to late to ask if it's okay!_But she didn't want to embarrass Charles. Before she could ask him who was tagging along, Charlie turned to the elevator,

"There you are!" Lizzy turned to follow his line of vision and saw Richard and Darcy walking towards them. They both looked surprised to see her.

"Lizzy! What are you doing here?" Richard asked good-naturedly. Charles spoke up before she could answer him,

"I ran into Jane and she invited us to lunch with them. Now let's go, I'm hungry" Darcy glanced surreptitiously at Lizzy but her face was blank and she refused to look at him. It was obvious she was still angry.

_Oh boy, this is going to be fun_, he thought to himself. For some reason Darcy had the feeling that this was going to be a very long lunch.


	9. Chapter 7

**Sorry guys but this is a really short chapter. I'm going out of town tomorrow on vacation so I've been a little busy but I'll try to update the next chapter sooner than usual. Thanx for the awesome reviews. I can't tell you how much I _love _reading them. And If you like my story, you have my betas to thank, MAB35 and LADYAMADAUN for their advice and speedy editing! **

Chapter 7

The group seated themselves at a small café a few blocks away from work. Charlie and Jane were completely oblivious to the tension in the air and Richard just found it funny. Darcy seemed to have his foot in his mouth when it came to Lizzy and it looked like she wasn't going to take it. The few times she turned towards him, she was glaring. Richard picked up his menu and began to scan its contents. The others mirrored his actions

"Hmm…what looks good" Richard murmured.

"I heard their club sandwiches are supposed to be amazing" Charlie suggested

"Their burgers too" Lizzy spoke up. Everyone looked at her in confusion. How would she know? "Or at least that's what my dad said" and soon the waiter came by to take their orders (Club sandwiches for the men, burger for Lizzy and chicken salad for Jane). Once they had all placed their orders, Richard leaned forward and crossed his arms on the table.

"So Jane, How are you liking New York?" Jane pried her attention from Charlie to smile politely at Richard,

"Well, I haven't really seen much yet. I just had a meeting with my agent and then I came straight here. But I'm hoping to see more of it soon. I like what I've seen so far." She spoke softly with a thick French accent.

"Well, if you need a tour guide, I'm available!" Charlie suggested eagerly. Lizzy laughed out loud

"Oh I'm sure Jane would appreciate that" She waggled he eyebrows at her friend. Jane gave Lizzy a look before turning to Charlie,

"I would love a tour Charlie, thank you"

"So you're a model?" Richard asked. Jane nodded

"Yes, I just signed on with Victoria Secret but I'm hoping to get more contracts."

"Hon, just wait, with your looks, you'll be modeling for Marc Jacobs or Vera Wang very soon. And if they don't call you, I'll call them!" Lizzy grinned at her.

"You'll have to excuse my friend, she seems to exaggerate a little when it comes to her friends" Jane rolled her eyes. Richard and Charlie chuckled. Only Will sat quietly. After a few minutes of polite conversation the waiter returned with their meals. He set the plates down on the table and quickly walked away. Richard took a bite of his club sandwich and chewed before speaking up.

"So Lizzy how's your first day of work so far?" Lizzy swallowed her French fry quickly and answered him.

"Well, it's only been a few hours so far. Just the meeting so I'd say, it could have been better" She took a sip of her ice tea, "But I guess I shouldn't have too many expectations, I mean, I'm just a spoiled kid who likes to shop and spend my dad's money so what would I know, right?" She calmly took a bite of her burger as Richard choked a little on his food and Will's face drained of all its color. Charlie and Jane had matching perplexed looks on their faces. Only Lizzy seemed calm of the five. She nonchalantly kept eating her lunch, not making eye contact with Darcy even though she could feel his eyes burning into her. Charlie cleared his throat but before he could say anything to break the tension, Lizzy spoke up,

"So Richie, when am I going to meet Jessi?" Richard let out a small sigh of relief and, after a quick, glance at Darcy, he answered her.

"Soon I hope. She's really busy at the moment and not in New York but as soon as she comes back we'll get together." Lizzy raised an eyebrow as she sipped her drink.

"Richie, are you sure you're talking about a real person here, and not the blowup doll you keep in your closet?" She winked at her friend and grinned saucily. Charlie guffawed out loud and Jane shot Lizzy a horrified look. Darcy's mouth twitched as he tried to control the laughter that threatened to burst out. Richard sat back with a proud look on his face and put his right hand over his heart

"Ahhh Squirt, your comment warms my heart, it really does. It's nice to see that all my training during the first 13 years of your life didn't come undone during the 8 years you spent under the influence of the snootiness that is Paris." He turned to Jane, "No offense Jane."

Jane giggled, "Don't worry Richard, none taken. I'm used to it." She stared pointedly at Lizzy.

"Hey not my fault, I loved Paris, but I can't help it if New York is my first love. It's in my blood." Jane reached over and squeezed her hand.

"I'm just teasing you. It's normal to love your home town."

Darcy sat quietly, paying minimal attention to the conversation around him. He tried to keep his eyes off Lizzy but he just couldn't help himself. She was so poised and beautiful. She sat straight with a playful smile on her face and a sparkle in her blue-green eyes. He was happy to see that she actually ate real food and didn't freak out over a French fry like most of the girls he knew would have. He wished she would at least look at him every now and then but she completely ignored him. Richard noticed his cousin's fascination with Lizzy but wisely, he said nothing. Drawing Will's attention to it right now would probably cause another fight. However he filed it away in his head to interrogate him later.

"So Charlie, you're head of marketing right?" Lizzy addressed him. Charlie nodded and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

"Yes that's right"

"So you're my boss?" She smiled at him. Charlie looked a little uncomfortable.

"Well, normally, yes you would have to answer to me but I mean I doubt that applies to you." Lizzy frowned at him.

"Doesn't everyone in marketing have to answer to you?" She asked in a confused tone. Charlie glanced at Darcy, unsure of himself.

"Uhhhh…yeah but you're Michael's daughter…" he broke off turning red. Lizzy sighed.

"Charlie, I may be Mr. Bennet's daughter but at work, I'm your inferior. Please treat me like you would any other in my position. If I suck, tell me, if you hate what I have to say, let me know. Don't treat me with kid gloves. It's not going to get you fired trust me." Charlie gazed at her and saw that she was serious. His face broke out into a wide smile.

"Okay than. You'll report to me every Thursday. I'll have my secretary call yours to schedule it in advance to that there are no conflicts." His voice was suddenly business-like. Lizzy grinned at him.

"Sure thing boss! But why not Friday?"

Richard interrupted, "Because Charlie here doesn't work on Fridays. He comes in and sits in his office daydreaming about beautiful blonde women and where he'll be taking them that night" he spoke casually. Charlie glared at him as he spoke to Lizzy,

"Actually it's because it's more convenient. When you go on business trips, you'll be gone on Fridays so you'd end up missing our meetings. This way, there will be no breaks." Lizzy nodded and didn't mention the confusion she felt. _Business trips? Why would she take business trips?_ She sat silently thinking that little bit of information over as the others around her continued their conversation.

Darcy noticed Lizzy's slight mood shift. He wished he could talk to her but was afraid that she would reject him in front of everyone. Damn! He hadn't realized that she had heard him that night. He hadn't meant what he said; he was just trying to get Richard off his back. He would have to apologize and pray that she forgave him. Darcy didn't want to admit even to himself why it was so important for Lizzy to forgive him. Suddenly the scraping of chairs broke through his reverie. Apparently Richard had paid for everyone and they were all leaving to go back to work. Jane shook hands with everyone and gave Lizzy a hug before getting a cab while the rest of them walked back to the office.


	10. Chapter 8

**Ok guys here is the next chapter...I'm going to have to slow down a bit but I promise, i will not abandon the story and i will try my best to write as fast as possible. Thanx again to my wonderful betas, MAB35 and LADYAMADAUN and thanx to all my reviewers! You guys really make my day when i read your comments!**

Chapter 8

Darcy sat at his desk with his head in his hands. He was not the type to say stupid things. He was _always_ in control of his emotions _and_ actions. Living in the world that he did, he had no choice. Will hated the conundrum that was his life. He lived amongst the richest of the rich of New York and he himself had an image to uphold being, both a top executive at Bennet Corp as well as being a Darcy, a name that was synonymous with old money and deep-rooted convictions. His father had early on ingrained in him the duties of being a Darcy. George Darcy had been a good man and believed in being active instead of living the lazy life. Hard work made a man strong. He hadn't had business savvy and so had preferred to be Michael's right hand man instead of running his own show. He had raised his son to exert himself and be a go-getter instead of waiting for everything to come to him on a silver platter.

However, being a Darcy meant that Will had to attend all or at least most of the benefits he was invited to, keep the family name scandal free and marry well. Basically, he had to be the public face of the Darcy family. He didn't mind _everything_; just the phoniness that came along with it. The fake smiles, pretending to like people you really hated, doing nothing but going to fancy parties where it was always the same people, talking about the same old thing: how to make more money. And yet, he had no choice. He was the only one left to represent the Darcy name. Except of course his sister Anna who was living with an aunt and uncle in order to complete her education. But even if she were here, he wouldn't subject her to all this. Not until she was ready. No, this was his burden to bear and he had actually numbed himself to it. He had always felt that he played the part perfectly…until now. _What was wrong with him? Why did Lizzy bring out this rotten side of him?_ For some reason, whenever he opened his mouth around her he ended up sounding like a jackass. He didn't mean to. She stirred something in him that hadn't been touched in a while. He had long given up on finding the right woman, thinking they were all the same; either gold digging social climbers or shallow superficial heiresses. They all had ulterior motives, even the rich ones, a brutal lesson he had learned in the past and one he would never forget. After the early years of his youth where he was in fact quite the playboy, and his one…mistake…he had refrained from dating in general. Sure, he still went out with women but the number had gone way down in recent years. But Lizzy was different (_wasn't she?)_. She was beautiful inside and out. He could see that right away. But for some reason, the fact that he had noticed that bothered him. He couldn't be thinking about her like that! She was Michael's daughter, not to mention she was 8 years younger than him. He didn't want to rob the cradle so to speak. But if Richard knew what was going through his head every time he thought about Lizzy, he would never hear the end of it. _But that didn't mean he had to be a jerk to her, right? He could be civil, friendly even._ He nodded to himself in determination. He was going to apologize and treat her with friendly indifference. There was a knock on the door and before he could respond, it opened and Richard peeked his head in, "Hey Loser."

Darcy raised his eyebrow, "What are you doing here and how did you get past my secretary?" Richard opened the door wider and leaned casually against the door frame, "What can I say, the ladies? They love me. Anyways, I'm going down to see Lizzy, wanna tag along? Might be a good time to apologize for your less than pleasant comments and generally crappy attitude."

Darcy glared at his cousin even as he stood up, "Yeah, give me a sec." He closed the folder in front of him and walked towards the door.

Lizzy smiled at Susan as she walked briskly passed her into her office. This time, instead of tossing her bag onto the sofa, she carried it over and placed it neatly under her desk. Sitting down in the comfortable leather chair, she turned her laptop on and waited for it to start up. She drummed her fingers against the desk until the computer prompted her for her login information. She typed fast and clicked ok. Finally she opened up her documents and got to work. She became so absorbed in her work that the buzz of her intercom startled her enough to make her jump in her chair.

"Excuse me Ms. Bennet. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Fitzwilliam are here to see you," Susan informed her employer in a crisp voice. Lizzy frowned slightly, "Okay, send them in." She looked up as the door opened and smiled at Richard who was the first to enter.

"Hey Squirt, nice office," He took a seat across her desk and Darcy took the other one adjacent to it. Lizzy closed the notebook in front of her and put her pen on top of it. "So, to what do I owe this honor?" She leaned back in her chair as she addressed Richard. He grinned at her, "Sheer boredom." Lizzy rolled her eyes at him, "Richie, you're not allowed to be bored, you have too much work to do." He paused for a minute, studying her face. "Actually, we just wanted to see how you were adjusting. For real. Michael told me that he had to force this office on you and secretly hire your secretary. Why the need to force your dad to resort to covert ops?" He leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. The smile on Lizzy's face slowly faded and she sat quietly for a while before going off into a rant, "I'm a new hire and my dad's treating me like a top executive. It's not supposed to be this way. Oh and another thing, _why_ would I have to go on business trips? I mean, no one else in my position would be sent. It's kinda irresponsible. I really hope Charlie was confused."

Richard sighed, "Ok kid, I'm going to be straight with you. I admire your determination to be all normal and work your way up and everything, really I do, we both do." He gestured towards Darcy who up until now sat silently letting his cousin do all the talking. Lizzy glanced at Darcy, making eye contact with him before turning back to Richard as he continued speaking, "but whether you like it or not, You _are _Elizabeth Bennet, heiress to Bennet Corp. and your dad wants to train you. These business trips will allow you to observe what takes place so when you're ready to take over after your dad retires, you won't be left clueless. You need to have at least a general understanding of everything that goes on here."

Lizzy frowned. "Well what about this office and Susan?"

Richard sighed, "Aww come on Lizzy, you really want to work in some cramped cubicle with nosy guys peeking over to see what you're doing all the time? You wanna earn all this? Then do a good job. That's what you're here to do."

Up until then, Darcy sat quietly, letting Richard do all the talking. He couldn't help but feel envious at how easily his cousin was able to converse with Lizzy. She seemed comfortable with Richard, just as she had been all those years ago but there seemed to be a barrier between himself and Lizzy. He wanted desperately to overcome it. Darcy cleared his throat and the others turned to look at him.

"Lizzy I'm sorry if I was too hard on you this morning. You have to understand, I was just doing my job. It wasn't meant to sound like personal criticism."

Lizzy raised an eyebrow, "And what about Friday night?" She was referring to the comments she had overheard at the party. Darcy cleared his throat, looking extremely uncomfortable and spoke tightly, "Yes well, I'm sorry about that as well." Lizzy said nothing for a minute. "You know Will, you don't know me. Not anymore. I'm not the 13-year-old girl that left all those years ago. I grew up. And even back then, I gave you no reason to think me shallow. So what gives you the right to judge me without even-"

"I said I was sorry, what more do you want?" Darcy interrupted her. Lizzy glared at him, "Gee I don't know, maybe for you to mean it? Or at least _sound _like you do!" She yelled at him.

"Alright you two, settle down" Richard jumped in before things could turn any more ugly, "Will you were a jerk and Lizzy, now you're being immature. You need to let it go and get passed this. Be civil for God's sake. Can you guys do that?" He glanced between the two angry parties. Neither said a word.

"I'm waiting" Richard prompted. Lizzy huffed, "Fine".

"Good, now shake hands" Richard ordered them. Darcy grunted, but reached his hand out. Lizzy shook it quickly and pulled away almost immediately. Richard smirked at them, "Ahh, I can feel the love in the air." He commented lightly. Lizzy and Darcy glared at him.

"So…uhh…what are you working on?" Darcy decided to change the subject to a more neutral one. Lizzy glanced at her laptop, "Oh, I'm just going over the company website trying to see what needs to be changed."

"And…"

"Well, to be honest, it really sucks. I mean we can afford to do so much better than this, especially for a company of this magnitude. I'm going to bring it up with Charlie later during one of our meetings." The men in front of her nodded their heads but didn't say anything.

"When's your dad coming back?" Richard asked. Lizzy tried to keep the frown off her face as she answered, "I'm not sure. I think sometime next week. He didn't really say."

"Well he probably has a lot to take care of at the London office. He can't always be here in New York and send everyone else to do the important stuff." Darcy didn't mean to sound patronizing but somehow it came out like that. Lizzy glared at him, "Thank you for pointing that out but I am aware of my father's responsibilities. He's been travelling around since I was a kid. I never expected him to stop just because I'm back in town."

Darcy opened his mouth to clarify what he meant but Richard broke in. "Okaaaay I think that's enough playtime for the two of you. Back to your corners now." He stood up and started walking towards the door, "Let's go Will," He called over his shoulder. Darcy stood and hesitated for a minute, before following his cousin out the door. He closed it gently behind him, not noticing Lizzy's glare that followed him as he left.


	11. Chapter 9

**Hi guys! sorry for the long delay, but I'm on vacation with family and barely have time to write anything at all...plus, i had a family wedding to plan and less than 2 weeks to do it so yeah, i've been busy..anyways, here's the next chapter, hope you like it...please review! and thanks to my awesome betas again, ladyamadaun and mab35**

Chapter 9

Weeks passed and turned to months and Lizzy fell into a routine that was steady, if a little dull. She worked at Bennet Corp. overtime every day and came home usually to an empty house. Her father had spent most of his time travelling, making sure everything was stable in the overseas offices and Jane seemed to be engrossed with all things Charlie. When she wasn't busy on a shoot, she was with him. Lizzy didn't begrudge her friend her happiness, but she couldn't help but feel a little lonely. Although she had a tentative truce with Darcy, she still avoided him and that meant not seeing much of Richard either because the two of them were practically inseparable. She thought moving back meant more time with her dad but it seemed like she saw him even less now. When she was in Paris, he always made it a point to stop by on his trips, but now she'd barely seen him three times in as many weeks. Lizzy sighed as she closed her laptop and rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hand. There was just no point continuing; exhaustion was making her sloppy and if she went on, she'd just have to come back tomorrow and do it all over again. It was 8:30 and she was still at work, trying to put the final touches on the new company website. She sat back and blinked a few times, to let her eyes adjust without the glare of the laptop. Checking her watch, she stood up slowly and picked up her handbag. She made her way out of her office, switching off the lights as she walked by. Susan had already gone home at Lizzy's insistence and so everything seemed very quiet as she walked towards the elevator. Stepping in, she made her way down to the lobby, out the main doors and into her car. A few minutes later, the car pulled up at her townhouse and Lizzy got out, fishing her keys out of her bag as she walked up the stairs. As she absentmindedly turned the key to open the door, she thought about what to do for dinner. It was Nina's night off and she didn't feel like cooking anything for herself. She pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing a light on in the family room, she walked towards it in confusion. _Who could be home? _ Walking into the room, she stopped in surprise. There sat Jane on the sofa with a pizza, soda cans and 2 bowls full of both chips and popcorn on the coffee table in front of her, holding a cordless phone in her hand.

"Where have you been?" She practically shouted, "I've been so worried about you."

"What? I was at work." Lizzy walked up the snacks and leaned down to grab a chip. Jane looked at the clock, "At this hour?"

Lizzy shrugged, "Sorry, I didn't know you were waiting for me. You should have called me."

Jane glared at her, "I _did _call you. I called a million times. No answer! I thought something happened to you!"

Lizzy frowned and reached into her bag, "Wha-…"she pulled out her cellphone and looked at the screen, "Oh crap 23 missed calls. Wow, you had a lot of time on your hands." She dropped the phone back in her bag and set it on the ground. She walked over to the sofa and sat down beside her friend. "Sorry about that, my phone was on vibrate and I didn't hear it." Jane continued to glare at her. Lizzy smiled at her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I promise I won't do it again."

Jane's frown dissipated and she sighed dramatically, "You better not or else I'll call the police next time."

Lizzy laughed, "Anyways, what are you doing home? I thought you'd be out with Charlie?"

Jane shook her head, "He's out with the guys tonight."

Lizzy raised her eyebrows, "So what, I'm your backup plan?" She asked teasingly. Jane smiled at her patiently, "Actually, I decided I wanted to spend some time with my best friend first and so he called Richard and Will after that."

Lizzy made a face, "Oh sorry about that. If I'd known, I would have come home earlier."

"It's ok, the night's still young. Its my fault anyways, I've neglected you for so long, it's no wonder you weren't expecting me to be home. Okay, you go change into something more comfy and I'll get the movie ready and heat up the pizza a little." She stood and picked up the box.

"Okay, I'll be back in 5." She raced upstairs and changed quickly into a tank top and yoga pants. She went into the washroom and washed her face. Tying her hair quickly into a messy bun, Lizzy ran back down to the family room to find Jane ready and waiting with a remote in her hand and hot pizza in front of her.

"Wow, that was fast!" Jane looked up at her friend in surprise. Lizzy plopped herself down on the sofa and grabbed a plate. She reached into the box and pulled out a slice of cheesy pizza. "What can I say, I'm starving." She took a big bite of the pizza and reached for a soda. "So what are we watching? Something girly I hope. It's been a while since I saw a good chick flick"

Jane nodded, "Yup, I got "He's just not that into you". I know it's not new but neither of us has seen it."

Lizzy gulped her soda and nodded, "Sounds good, play it."

The two sat in companionable silence and ate as they watched. Together they devoured most of the pizza and chips as well. Two hours later, as the credits were flashing on the screen Lizzy turned to Jane, "So how are things with Charlie?"

Jane sat back and sighed, "Amazing! He's so wonderful Lizzy. I never thought I could feel this strongly about someone."

Lizzy grinned. She leaned forward for the bowl of popcorn and set it in her lap. "So he's _the One_?"

Jane blushed, "I think so. When I'm with him, I feel so happy, like nothing can go wrong. He makes me feel so special. Oh! Before I forget, he's having a party this Saturday and you have to come!"

Lizzy frowned, "Party? Why?" She threw a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

Jane shrugged, "I don't know but he said he wants me to meet his sister and I'm so nervous! Please Lizzy, you have to come. You need a break too! You work too much."

"Okay fine, I'll go but Jane, be careful" Lizzy warned her friend. Jane shot her a confused look, "What do you mean?"

"Just… be careful. I don't know Charlie's sister but New York socialites can be mean. And I mean really mean. You may think she's complimenting you, but really it's an insult. Watch your back."

"How would you know that? Lizzy, you were 13 when you left New York."

"I went to like a million parties. Spent all my time hovering in the background, watching everyone. I hated the phoniness even back then."

Jane nodded, still looking confused. Lizzy sighed, "Don't worry, I'll be there for you."

Jane smiled, "Thanks Lizzy! I don't know what I would do without you."

Lizzy smiled back and then wiped her hands on a tissue. "Okay, enough mush, let's see if anything good is on tv." She grabbed the remote and switched the channels until she found a show they both enjoyed.

* * *

"So how'd you manage to tear yourself away from your girlfriend? Richard took a gulp of his drink. Charlie smiled ruefully at him, "She wanted alone time with Lizzy."

Richard and Darcy laughed out loud. The three men were enjoying drinks at their favorite bar.

"She blew you off for Lizzy? Man what a burn!" Richard shook his head.

"Well, we've spent nearly everyday together since we met so she felt bad about neglecting her 'bff' as she called her."

Darcy frowned, "Bff?"

"Best friend forever. Don't ask how I know" Richard answered him. Darcy smirked but said nothing as he drained his glass. Not a minute later a pretty waitress walked up to them. "Can I get you boys anything?"

"Yeah another round please." Charlie smiled at her. She walked off and returned with their drinks, "2 single malt scotch, and 1 Gibson." She set the glasses in front of the men and walked away after shooting them a big flirtatious smile. Charlie looked after her for a minute, "She's cute. You should go for her Will."

Darcy shot him a dirty look. But before he could say anything, Richard broke in. "I think Will is off the market at the moment." Charlie and Will both turned to look at him in surprise.

"What are you talking about? I'm not seeing anyone" Darcy practically growled at his cousin. Richard just smiled calmly at him. "Well, not yet, but only because you don't have the guts to ask her out. But you _are _taken. Emotionally at least."

"What's he talking about? Dude, did you hook up with anyone?" Charlie was confused.

'No I didn't." He answered through clenched teeth, his eyes still on Richard. Richard scoffed. "Listen, you have the hots for her…so what? It's understandable. She's actually the whole package. She's everything you've always said you've been looking for."

Darcy slammed his glass down. "Dammit Richard that's _enough_! I don't like Lizzy like that!"

"Who said I was talking about Lizzy?" Richard asked quietly, cornering his cousin. There was silence for a minute.

"I don't like her. She's too young. She's like my sister." Darcy said stubbornly as he finished off his second drink for the night.

"Bull shit. She's like _my _sister. I've always been like an older brother to her. Still am. But not you. It was always different for you. Maybe because of her crush, I don't know but even now you are _not_ like a brother to her." Richard retorted. Charlie just sat watching them argue back in forth like a tennis match.

"You're only a year older than me. Why are _you_ an older brother figure, and I'm not?" Darcy challenged him defiantly.

"Because _I _don't check her out like you do." Richard spat back at him. "I'm not talking age here. It's just a number as far as I'm concerned. I'm talking about relationships. The way we act with each other." He sat back, knowing he was victorious.

"I do _not _check her out! Just because I noticed her eyes doesn't mean I checked her out. They stand out! They're so blue…very blue…"Darcy's voice trailed off with a confused look on his face.

"Case in point." Richard smirked. "By the way man, _you_ are drunk or almost drunk!"

Darcy didn't say anything. Charlie felt bad for his friend, even though he agreed with everything Richard said, and decided to change the subject. "So…what are you guys doing for thanksgiving this year?"

Richard looked at Charlie and, realizing what he was trying to do, decided to let Darcy off the hook for now. "Well, for the first time _ever_ Lady C will not be hosting thanksgiving this year."

Darcy frowned at his cousin. "What do you mean?"

"She's going to be in Italy and she invited my parents and your sister along. I got out of it. Said I have too much work but you're still free to join them if you want."

Darcy laughed, "Yeah right! Oh wow, a holiday without Aunt Catherine…I've always wondered what that would feel like."

"Great so you guys can spend the holiday with me!" Charlie was excited.

"Chuck, as long as you don't cook, I'll be there." Darcy reassured him. Charlie grinned at him. "I wonder who else we can invite. I'll call Jane and Lizzy."

Darcy frowned, "I'm sure Lizzy will want to spend the holidays with her dad."

"Nope," Richard told him, "Michael won't be back by then."

"But thanksgiving isn't for another couple of weeks!" Darcy was surprised. Richard shrugged. "I know. Don't get me started. He's barely spent any time here since Lizzy came back."

"Are you serious? What is wrong with him? You'd think he would slow down and appreciate his daughter's presence after being separated for so long! Doesn't he care about her at all?" Darcy fumed.

"Whoa, calm down my inebriated cousin. Of course he cares about her but Michael's a workaholic, always has been." Richard commented lightly. Darcy blushed and looked down at his glass, trying to reign in is emotions.

"What was he like before Lizzy left?" Charlie asked, trying his best not to burst out laughing at his friend's expense.

Richard shrugged, "The same I'd say. When he travelled, Lizzy stayed with Nina and Sam. That's why she's so close to them. They're more like family than employees. Sometimes she tagged along but even then, _we_ spent more time with her, taking her around the sightseeing."

Charlie whistled, "That's gotta be rough for the poor girl."

"She was always a good sport though, never complained. It's like she knew how hard it must have been for him to be a single father." Darcy pointed out.

"So why did she leave?" Charlie asked.

"It was her idea." Richard told him. "She wanted to go stay with her aunt and uncle. We never thought she would stay away as long as she did though."

The three men sat in silence, finishing off their drinks.

"Ok boys, it think it's time to call it a night." Richard signaled for the waitress. After paying their tab, Richard turned to look at his cousin. Darcy looked as though he was lost in his thoughts. Richard couldn't blame him. He had an idea of what kept him so preoccupied, or rather, _who._


	12. Chapter 10

**Okay so here is my next chapter...i love the reviews and i plan on making some changes to keep the readers happy...for example, jane and charlie will kinda have their thing but i won't make it that big a deal and don't worry, Darcy will have his jealousy issues and no not with Wickham but with someone else. I think i might have mentioned a name in the beginning but that's all I'm saying, no more spoilers!**

**If you like my story, you have my betas to thank as well, LADYAMADAUN and MAB35 for their help and awesome advice!**

Chapter 10

Jane stood in front the full-length mirror in her room surveying her reflection. She wore a sleeveless gold shimmery, low cut V-neck dress that ended right above her knee. Her long blond hair hung loose in soft curls and her makeup was light and tasteful as usual. Strappy muted gold sandals and a purple clutch completed her outfit for the night. Today was the day of Charlie's party and she wanted to wow him and get on his sister's good side. Her bedroom door opened and Lizzy walked in.

"Ready?" She asked with a grin.

"I think so. What? Why are you smiling like that?" Jane asked her.

"Jane, you're gonna knock his socks off. Charlie isn't going to know what hit him!"

Jane blushed at her friend's compliments. "And what about you? You look gorgeous. Dressing up for anyone in particular?" She raised an eyebrow. Lizzy was wearing a strapless jersey dress with a gray V-neck top and a black sash that accentuated her narrow waist and ruched navy blue skirt that went to her mid-thigh. Her hair was done up in a low bun and she wore a flowers and chain necklace that hung around her neck in a cluster and a chunky bracelet. On her feet, she wore peep toe black pumps and carried a silver clutch and a gray pea coat. Her smoky eye shadow brought attention to her beautiful eyes and she wore a light color lip-gloss.

"Oh yeah, I plan on getting up close and personal with the bartender tonight." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly at her friend. "Bundle up, its cold outside." She raised her arm to show Jane the jacket she carried. Jane grabbed her pale gold trench coat on her way out of her room and followed Lizzy down the stairs. "Is it always this cold in November?" She asked.

Lizzy shrugged, "How would I know, I haven't been here in 8 years. But from what I remember, it gets worse in December. Lots of snow!" She put her clutch down on a side table and put her jacket on, making sure to button it. Jane grabbed her friend's hand, "Lizzy I'm nervous." She whispered.

Lizzy smiled at her reassuringly, "Relax. Caroline would have to be an idiot not to like you. And even if she doesn't, who cares? Charlie is crazy about you. That's what counts."

"You really think he's crazy about me?" She asked quietly. Lizzy raised her eyebrows, "Honey anyone with eyes can see how nuts he is about you. Now, let's go, we're late enough already." Together the women walked out of the house and into the car that was awaiting them.

Charlie's penthouse apartment was bursting at the seams. There were people everywhere, standing around with drinks in their hands. Lizzy whistled softly.

"Charlie has a lot of friends." Jane commented, looking around.

"I dunno. I mean as friendly as he is, somehow I doubt these are all Charlie's guests." Lizzy scanned the crowd, "Maybe these are his sister's friends."

They walked into the room, going around the clusters of guests, until they ran into Charlie. He beamed when he saw them, "Hey you're here!" He put his arm around Jane's waist giving her a quick kiss.

"Nice turn out Charlie" Lizzy smiled at him. He grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, most of these are Caroline's guests. I'd introduce you guys but, well to be honest, I don't know many of them. Do you?" He asked Lizzy.

"Umm, I recognize some faces yeah but I'm not particularly close to any of them."

Charlie shrugged, "Oh well, Come on." He grabbed Jane's hand and motioned for Lizzy to follow.

"Where are we going?" Lizzy asked as she trailed behind them, navigating between the other guests.

"I want to introduce you to my sister." He turned abruptly to face Lizzy, "Oh and I apologize in advance." He smiled weakly at her.

Lizzy frowned, "Apologize for what? I don't understand."

"You will" He answered her cryptically. Lizzy and Jane looked at each other in confusion before continuing on. They saw Charlie approach a tall, thin young woman with straight brown hair and green eyes. She would have been pretty if she had a nicer expression on her face and perhaps a different outfit. Caroline tended to dress for fashion more than anything else. As long as it was haute couture, it was enough. She didn't stop to see if the dress suited her complexion or her body which it didn't. She wore a bright orange silk dress with a plunging neckline that went down almost to her naval and fitted long sleeves. The dress trailed slightly behind her and there seemed to be excess material folded over her left shoulder. She frowned at Charlie when she saw him walk up.

"Charles, where have you been hiding? You're the host. You're supposed to be greeting people," She hissed at him.

"I was. Jane, this is Caroline. Caroline, this is my girlfriend Jane LaFountaine." Caroline shifted her eyes towards the blonde woman, narrowing as she saw her holding Charlie's hand.

"LaFountaine? As in LaFountaine Aviation from Paris?" She asked eagerly. Jane smiled at her.

"No, same last name but we aren't part of that family."

Caroline's smile faded and she looked Jane up and down slowly.

"Ahh…that's too bad. So tell me Jane, what is it that you do?"

"I'm a model." Jane was still smiling.

"Oh. Any big clients? Chanel? Louis Vuitton?"

"Just Victoria Secret for now. I just started. With any luck, I'll get more clients soon." Jane turned to smile at Charlie who had squeezed her hand kissed her on the cheek. Caroline didn't seem impressed.

"You're a lingerie model. How…nice" She gave Jane a tight smile and Charlie decided to jump in.

"Oh, I'm sorry, and this is my friend Lizzy." He turned to introduce Lizzy who had managed to stay out of Caroline's sight while observing the conversation. Caroline's eyes lit up as she recognized the heiress in front of her.

"Oh! Elizabeth Bennet! It is such a pleasure to finally meet you!" She beamed at her. "I heard through the grapevine that you were back in New York and have been dying for an introduction, but Charlie here seemed to think you were too busy at the time." She looked reproachfully at her brother who rolled his eyes. Lizzy didn't know whether to be angry and Caroline's dismissal of Jane or amused at her fawning over herself.

"Nice to meet you too, Caroline. That's a very…interesting dress." She looked Caroline up and down.

"Oh, it is beautiful" She ran her hands up and down the sides of her dress. "It's a Stephanie Rolland original from Paris."

Lizzy was at a loss for words but luckily Jane saved her.

"It's a wonderful dress Caroline. You look great." She said politely. Caroline barely glanced at her before turning back to Lizzy.

"You missed fashion week. We were so sure you were coming, we saved you a seat in the front row." She gushed.

"Umm… yeah I was busy settling in at the time." She answered with a weak smile. Caroline looked perplexed.

"Why didn't you just leave that to your maids?"

Before Lizzy could answer, Charlie interrupted her.

"I thought you couldn't get into the front row Caro. Weren't you somewhere in the middle?"

Caroline turned to glare at her brother while Lizzy fought to hide her smile. However, even this failed to deter Caroline or even dampen her enthusiasm.

"So you must be thrilled to be back and take your place in society. You know, there are some excellent parties I can take you to, so you can meet up with everyone."

"Well actually-" Lizzy broke off when she saw Richard making his way towards her. She sighed inwardly in relief before calling out, "Richie! You're finally here!"

He grinned at her, "Yep I'm here, now you can start having fun," he swung his arm around Lizzy's neck and pulled her close to him and kissed the top of her head. Lizzy smiled at him,

"What took you so long? Are you trying to take fashionably late to another level?" She pulled away a bit to be able to look up at him.

"I had a hard time finding the right shirt. Couldn't decide which one brought out my eyes more." He explained seriously. Charlie rolled his eyes as Jane and Lizzy laughed aloud. Caroline smiled absently. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she flashed a big toothy smile at someone behind Richard.

"William, darling!" Caroline rushed over to give him a lingering kiss on the cheek. Darcy managed to keep the grimace off his face, but only just. He struggled to keep from looking at Lizzy. He didn't want to give Richard anymore ammunition to use against him and from what he had seen of Lizzy when he was making his way to the group, he knew he would have a hard time to keep from staring at her. It seemed that every time he saw her, she was even more beautiful. He exercised every bit of his iron will to keep his eyes trained on anything else until he felt in control of his reaction or himself. Caroline wound her arm around his before turning back to the rest of the group. "Elizabeth, you _must _meet William, he's a dear friend of mine-".

Her brother cut her off, "Caro, Lizzy grew up with Will. They've known each other for years." Caroline's smile faded a little.

"Oh, I thought seeing as how you lived in Paris…"

"Lizzy moved when she was 13. By that time Will and I were already permanent fixtures in her life." Richard explained with a secretive smile on his face. Caroline nodded her head a little absently.

"Oh, I see. Well, never mind than. How have you been William? I feel as if it's been ages since I've seen you. You really need to work less." Caroline clung to Darcy's arm and looked up at him with wide eyes and what she thought was an adorable pout. Darcy repressed a sigh and answered her with the usual stern expression he kept for use while in public.

"I'm fine Caroline. Busy as usual." He turned towards Jane, "Nice to see you again, Jane. You look lovely as always." Jane blushed and smiled at him.

"Thank you Will, you're looking very handsome yourself." Darcy steeled himself and was about to turn to Lizzy when he heard his friend's voice.

"What about me, Will? Don't I look lovely too?" Charlie grinned at him. Darcy rolled his eyes as Lizzy and Richard laughed together.

"Charlie is there something you're not telling us?" Lizzy teased him.

"Yeah are you just using Jane as your beard while you secretly yearn for Will?" Richard joined in. They all chuckled together until Caroline interrupted with a tight smile on her face,

"Don't be silly, Richard, Everyone knows William is straight and Jane and Charles are just friends. She would hardly be his beard, even if he needed one." Jane's face turned red her smile faded into an embarrassed expression. Lizzy frowned and was about to speak up when Charlie beat her to it,

"Jane is my _girlfriend_ Caroline. We've been dating for over 2 months now." His expression was fierce as he stared at his sister. Noticing the frown on both Charlie and Lizzy's face Richard decided to interfere.

"You'd have to be living under a rock to not know about their relationship, Caroline. Charlie's been gaga over Jane since Lizzy introduced them. Poor thing couldn't shake him even if she wanted to. Jane, you've got him wrapped around your finger. If I were you, I'd start having fun with that. Ask him for a car." He winked at the blonde woman. Jane smiled gratefully at Richard before answering.

"All I need from Charlie is for him to be himself." Charlie finally tore his attention away from Caroline and gave Jane a kiss on the cheek. She turned to look at him with shining eyes.

"Yeah, okay, get a room." Richard made a face at the couple. Lizzy laughed aloud and Caroline frowned.

"William darling, could you get me a drink please." She spoke up, trying to get the attention away from her sappy brother and his nonentity of a girlfriend. Darcy had stood silently through the entire exchange, just taking it all in. He didn't like how Caroline belittled her brother all the time. Darcy didn't think Charlie and Jane's relationship was that serious but it was none of Caroline's business either way. Lost in his own thoughts, he almost missed Caroline's request. Almost, but not quite. Luckily Charlie saved him.

"I'll get you your drink Caroline." His sister frowned at him.

"Nonsense Charles, I'm sure William won't mind." She smiled up at Darcy. Charlie sighed,

"Caroline, he's not your date and besides, I'm heading over there anyways." Charlie walked off with Jane. Caroline stared after them angrily before turning back to the others with a smile once again plastered to her face.

"So Elizabeth. We should do lunch sometime soon." She looked expectantly at Lizzy. Unable to formulate a quick but polite rejection, Lizzy hesitated when Darcy stepped in.

"Caroline, I believe there are some guests waiting for your attention. As hostess, shouldn't you be mingling a little more?"

Caroline looked away from Lizzy and around the room, "Oh how careless of me. Thank you William for pointing that out. I'll catch up with you all later tonight." She walked away to greet a group of women dressed in a similar fashion to her. She understood Darcy's hint loud and clear. He expected her to know how to be the perfect hostess for their future together and she would not disappoint him.

Darcy turned to Lizzy,

"You owe me one."

Lizzy frowned at him, "And why do you think that I needed saving?" Darcy raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, in that case I'll just go tell Caroline that you're free for lunch tomorrow." He turned to walk away but Lizzy reached out and grabbed him by the forearm with both hands.

"No! Okay fine, I owe you one. Just…don't say anything to her." Darcy grinned at Lizzy.

"Nice to see some things haven't changed." Lizzy looked at him with a confused expression.

"What do you mean?"

"You always had a knack for picking out the phony ones right off the bat." He reminded her. Richard laughed, "Tell me about it, it's like some kind of radar, like dogs and those special whistles."

Lizzy made a face at him, "Are you calling me a dog?" she asked with a hint of venom in her voice. Richard pretended not to notice. "No, not a dog…more like a cute puppy." Lizzy glared as Darcy chuckled.

"And on that note, I'm going to the ladies room."

"Do you want me to come along?" Richard asked innocently.

"What? Why would I want that?" Lizzy asked. Richard shrugged,

"I don't know, don't women always need company when they go?" Darcy shook his head with a wry smile as Lizzy glowered at his cousin.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. Try to stay out of trouble Rich" And she walked off, leaving the two men behind staring after her.

"Get your mind out of the gutter." Richard spoke up after Lizzy disappeared from view. Darcy turned to his cousin with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What?"

"Oh come on, you know exactly what I'm talking about."

"No actually I don't, my mind was nowhere near the gutter. In fact, the gutter isn't even a blip on my mind." Darcy protested.

"Dude, your mind _is _the gutter." Richard countered.

"Uhh, that's you man." Darcy reminded him. Richard paused for a second, "Yeah that's true. Okay so how long are you planning on staying tonight?"

Darcy shrugged, "I don't know, a while." Richard stared at his cousin in disbelief. "You mean you're not going to try and make a run for it now that Charlie is busy? Wow, Lizzy sure did a number on you! What, are you scared she's going to fall for one of Caroline's pretty boy friends?"

Darcy glared at his friend and opened his mouth to retort but before he could say anything, he heard someone cry out behind him.

"William Darcy? Is that you?" Darcy and Richard both turned to see who was speaking. Behind them stood five women, all dressed very loudly and looking very much like Caroline. They were her closest friends and they each seemed to be out to get Darcy. Richard grinned and stepped away a little, making room for anyone else to stand next to his cousin.

"_Don't you dare leave me with them_!" Darcy hissed quietly so that only Richard could hear him. The girls rushed forward, each trying to claim a spot right beside the eligible bachelor.

"What was that Will?" Richard scanned the room, "Oh look, there's someone I have to check in with. Talk to you later!" And he rushed off after grinning at his cousin one last time, saying a silent prayer of thanks that he had Jessi in his life. Darcy glared after him as the women chattered all around him and vied for his attention. He sighed to himself. This was going to be yet another long night.


	13. Chapter 11

**Hi Guys...here is the next installment...hope you enjoy it...**

**I was going over the reviews and I realized that I haven't answered some of them. Someone asked when I post and honestly, i don't have a fixed day. But i'm trying to post at least once a week. Also, don't worry, this is a Lizzy/Darcy fanfic so I won't be doing anything crazy like pulling a Sabrina (as much as I liked that movie, both versions!)**

**Thanks Again to my wonderful betas Ladyamadaun**** and MAB35. Also please review people!**

Chapter 11

Lizzy walked out of the restroom and looked around. Not seeing Jane anywhere, she began making her way back to where she had left Richard and Darcy. She paused along the way to greet a few acquaintances but didn't really stop for long. When she reached her destination, Lizzy had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing out loud. There in front of her stood a harassed looking Darcy surrounded by a gaggle of colorful women who, by the looks of it, had the same personal shopper as Caroline. Richard was nowhere to be found. Lizzy pursed her lips, trying to decide whether to ditch Darcy or help him out when the man in question looked up and caught her eye. He had such a pleading look in his eyes that Lizzy had no choice but to help him. She sighed and walked up to them.

"Ladies, Nathanial Vanderbilt just arrived and I believe he's feeling a little neglected." Lizzy whispered to them conspiratorially. The women quickly looked up and, on seeing the famous young mogul standing by himself, excused themselves and rushed over to what they hoped would be a more enthusiastic conquest.

"Aaaand we're even" Lizzy grinned at Darcy who let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Can't argue with that," he smiled down at her.

"So what now?" Lizzy put her hands on her hips and looked around the room.

"Now, _you _find us a place to sit and I'll grab us some drinks. Any requests?"

"Surprise me." She answered him before turning to find an empty spot. A few short minutes later, she managed to locate a loveseat that, for some reason remained empty. She quickly sat down and prayed that Darcy wouldn't take too long. Sure enough, he made it back in good time holding two glasses. He sat down next to Lizzy and handed her a drink. She took a sip and turned to him in surprise, "Wow, I expected you to get me a soda or something."

Darcy frowned at her, "What? You're legal now and one drink won't hurt you. Or are you a teetotaler?"

Lizzy laughed. "No no, I just didn't expect old man Darcy to offer me an alcoholic beverage that's all." She winked at him and took a sip of her drink.

"Old man Darcy? Hey, I'm not _that_ much older than you!"

"I know that, but you were the one who always acted like you were light years older than me. Back then I'm sure it made you feel all mature and special but now, it just makes you ancient." She ended in a sing song voice.

"Okaaay enough about my age. Have you seen any of your friends here?" Darcy asked her. Lizzy shook her head. "No, I don't think they would be close to Caroline."

"Not for lack of trying on Caroline's part. Maybe Charlie would have invited them." Darcy took a sip of his drink and looked around. Lizzy shrugged, "Nope…hey wait is George here?"

Darcy shook his head, "No, he went over to Emma's place."

"But Emma's out of town." Lizzy countered. Darcy shook his head again, "She came back this afternoon so George said he would be dropping by and taking her some dinner."

Lizzy frowned. "I wonder why she didn't say anything."

"It was a last minute thing. She was supposed to come back next week but she finished up early. I'm sure she would have called you if she had time. She only called her dad and he was the one who called George to make sure he would be there for her." Lizzy nodded absently but didn't say anything. Darcy turned to look at her, taking in her profile. She reminded him of a young Audrey Hepburn. She was so elegant with her delicate features, her dark shiny hair and her slender arms. He liked that she never dressed trashy. Lizzy was all class. Her outfits were never loud and never showed too much but neither did she look Amish either. Darcy blinked a few times and looked away. Thankful that his cousin wasn't there to give him a hard time. He cleared his throat and spoke up, "So you kept in touch with Emma all this time?" Lizzy smiled and nodded. Darcy chuckled a little, "Do you remember the time the two of you broke into George's room and drew moustaches and devil horns on all the pictures of his old girlfriend?"

Lizzy laughed, "Oh wow, I forgot about that! Oh man, was he pissed or what! I don't think I'd ever seen him that angry!"

"Well what did you expect?" Darcy laughed, "Did you really think he would thank you guys for that. It didn't help that Clarisse was the one who walked into the room first and found them. She thought George had done it. He had a handprint on his face for quite a while. Richard teased him about it for months after that."

"Well, I _did _feel bad about the slap. We just wanted to get our point across."

"Which was…?"

"That she was a horrible witch. Whatever happened to her?"

"Clarisse? Well from what I heard, her Dad went broke trying to keep up with the pretense that he was rich and apparently, he moved away to somewhere more affordable and Clarisse married someone…a little older than her." Darcy informed her. Lizzy chuckled, "Who did she marry? Did she become the Catherine Zeta to someone's Michael Douglas?"

Darcy hesitated, "Not exactly…remember Richard's friend Joshua Campbell?"

"Campbell soup guy? She married him? Eww" Lizzy grimaced, "He was weird"

"Oh she didn't marry him, she married his dad." Darcy finished off his drink and examined his glass after throwing that bomb. He knew Lizzy would freak out and lo and behold she didn't disappoint.

"She married his DAD? Oh my GOD! That's disgusting! What is wrong with her?"

"What can I say? People do crazy things for money. All she has to do now is wait for him kick the bucket." Darcy shook his head.

"Well, unless hubby dearest pulls a James Howard Marshall," Lizzy countered. Darcy chuckled and the two sat silently for a few minutes watching the people milling around in front of them. Lizzy sighed.

"What?" Darcy turned again towards her. Lizzy paused before answering him, "Do you think we would have been like that? I mean, if we didn't have money? Would we be doing all sorts of crazy things just to get rich?"

Darcy thought about it for a minute before answering, "Honestly, I don't know. It's easy to think about hypothetical situations when we know that they'll never be a reality. Sitting here with our full bank accounts and any door we want already open to us, it would be easy to assume that a change in circumstances wouldn't be a struggle for us." Lizzy remained silent, chewing her bottom lip with a frown on her face. Darcy too, was deep in thought. "But you know what? " He spoke up again, "I think we would have been able to handle it. We're not exactly lazing around, taking advantage of our wealth. We work hard for what we have. Just like our dads. Look at Bennet Corp. It could have gone down like any other company but your grandfather and now Michael worked hard to keep it thriving. And I have no doubt that you will work just as hard to keep it a success."

Lizzy half-heartedly smiled at him. She opened her mouth to say something but before she could, she felt someone put an arm around her shoulder. Confused, she turned to see who it was and found Richard sitting on the arm of the sofa, a drink in his free hand.

"Well Squirt, I see you took pity on Will and saved him from his horde of admirers." He smirked at Darcy who was now glaring at him.

"Yes she did. Thank God she has more compassion than you, Richard." Darcy retorted. Richard shrugged one shoulder and answered unapologetically, "What can I say Will? I was kinda hoping for some groupie type behavior. You know, tearing of shirts and such. You seem to be one of the very few stud muffins able to inspire such actions."

Lizzy laughed, "Now Ritchie, don't be jealous. I'm sure if Jessi wasn't in the picture, you'd have groupies too."

"Nah, the crazy ones don't go for me. I get the hot, sane ones. Will seems to attract the nutty stalker types." Richard grinned as Darcy rolled his eyes.

"Anyways…what were you guys talking about before I decided to reward you with my presence?" Richard took a sip of his drink. Darcy and Lizzy exchanged a look before Darcy answered his cousin, "Money."

Richard made a face, "Money? We're blue bloods. We're not supposed to talk about money. We're just supposed to just drown in it, worship it, hoard it but never talk about it. How'd that come up?"

Lizzy chuckled, "uhh…well…oh yeah, we were talking about Clarisse."

"Clarisse Jameson?" Richard asked. His two companions nodded in unison. Richard laughed, "Are you serious? Wow, I haven't thought about her in years. Is she still married to old man Campbell?" Again, two heads nodded. Richard shook his head, "Oh man, I wonder if she bitch slaps _him_." They all broke out in laughter.

"Oh hey, before I forget, did you get Charlie's invite yet?" Richard looked down at Lizzy.

"Uhh if I didn't I wouldn't be here now would I?" Lizzy asked with a confused expression on her face. Darcy snickered, "He means Chuck's Thanksgiving invite. He's having a dinner at his place, and you and Jane are invited."

"Oh…well…I guess so. I mean, it's not like we have anything else to do." She looked down. This was the first Thanksgiving she would be spending without any family. When her dad couldn't make it to Paris, she still had Aunt Maddie and Uncle Ed but now, there was no one. Lost in thought she didn't notice the silent conversation between the two cousins. Richard frowned at Darcy and shook his head indicating that they leave her alone; this was not the place to discuss this topic. Darcy nodded slightly in agreement and the men began discussing the latest basketball game leaving Lizzy to her reflections for the moment. When she finally looked up, ready to rejoin the conversation, Richard noticed her empty glass.

"Refill, Squirt?" he asked.

"Nah, I'm good," Lizzy shook her head, "I had one already."

"Just one?" Richard stared at her incredulously, "Have I taught you nothing?"

Lizzy laughed, "This is hardly the place I would want to get drunk at."

"Why not?" Richard waggled his eyebrows. "Scared you're going to strip and dance on tables with a lampshade over your head?"

Lizzy made a face at him. "Yes Richard," she answered, he voice dripping with sarcasm. "That's exactly it. That's how I get when I'm drunk. I like to get naked and start dancing."

"Oh well in that case, let me get you another drink!" he made to get up until Lizzy grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

"What are you doing?" She laughingly asked him.

"Seriously Richard," Darcy cut in mockingly, "Do you seriously want Lizzy to go crazy here? In front of all these guys? Your Little Lizzy?" He looked at his cousin with an eyebrow raised.

"Hell no!" Richard looked angry, "These pervs aren't seeing anything of hers. Not until she's at least 60! Screw that, no more drinking for you"

Lizzy and Darcy laughed as Richard took away Lizzy's glass and put it behind him on a side table.

"What are you doing?" Darcy asked as his cousin scanned the room, looking for someone.

"Where's Jane? We didn't watch her grow up so it's cool. I'd love to see _her_ drunk!" Richard made a lecherous face.

"Richard, _where _is your girlfriend?" Lizzy asked incredulously. "She needs to get back here to reign you in!"

Richard laughed, "Relax Squirt, you'll meet her soon. She's on assignment right now."

"What does she do again?" Lizzy asked.

"She's a lawyer for the U.N" he answered her.

"Wow Ritchie! I'm impressed. How'd you get a smart girl to even look at you?"

Darcy laughed, "He took her to a charity benefit and hired people to talk him up to show what a great philanthropist he was!"

"Hey man, she played me too! She knew the whole time and made me give away a huge chunk that night. But she liked my creativity and gave me another chance and we've been together since." He sat back with a satisfied smile. Lizzy stared at him, her mouth a little open, "Wow…look how smug he looks. I _have _to meet this person." The awe in her voice could clearly be heard. Richard was a known playboy, the confirmed bachelor. He had always said that he would never tie himself down before turning 50 and now, he was happily committed to one woman and acting like he was the luckiest man alive. His friends all knew that his playful flirting was just that and even given the opportunity to cheat, he would never go ahead with it. He was too much in love with his girlfriend.

The trio was so involved in their conversation that none of them noticed a pair of eyes observing them from not too far off. Caroline was not happy. William had barely paid any attention to her all evening. He hadn't complimented her dress or greeted her guests at her. Now, watching him sit with Elizabeth made her uncomfortable. Elizabeth Bennet was one of the better-known heiresses and it was said everyone in the first circles was waiting to see what she would bring to the table so to speak. Caroline was hoping that Elizabeth would be her ticket up. For some time now, she had been working to make her way up the social ladder but it was a very difficult climb. Those on top were very exclusive and not willing to accept just anyone. Or at least, that's what it felt like. But Elizabeth was new in town and because of that, Caroline had one leg up on her. Or so she thought. Now she was a little disappointed. Caroline wasn't expecting her to be confident and closed up. It's like these people took lessons on how to be private! Well that wouldn't stop Caroline! She would make her open up.

However this close camaraderie with William was something she had not been expecting. They looked like they were just friends but at times, Caroline couldn't help but notice a look in William's eyes. One of appreciation and…affection? She would have to keep an eye on them. Charlie's reputation wasn't enough to get her where she wanted to be. Caroline needed William Darcy's name and everything that went with it. That was her top priority. That and also taking care of business with Charlie. Dating a lingerie model would get him nowhere and she had to make sure he knew it. There was no way she could allow that relationship to progress.

She turned around to find the couple in question in a dark corner, standing very close together as Charlie whispered something in his lady friend's ear. Jane blushed and giggled. Caroline rolled her eyes. That shy innocent act was so last year. She looked around the room and sighed softly. At least she had accomplished _something_ tonight. William could easily see that she could throw an elegant soiree. And next weekend, he would see how she fared as a housewife at Thanksgiving dinner! She watched him again as he laughed at something Elizabeth said. She had never seen him so carefree and loose. It did not become him as a serious businessman. But then, maybe he was just humoring his old friend. She turned her gaze at Elizabeth. She was beautiful and classy, there was no doubt about that and top it all off, she was rich. It didn't escape her notice that Richard would frown at any man walking in their direction. It looked as though they were protecting her from everyone. Well, everyone except Charlie. They seemed to be fine with having him around Elizabeth.

An idea hatched in her head as she slowly turned to look at her brother, who was now talking to a friend, his arm still around Jane's waist, and then back to Elizabeth. It would be perfect! If she made sure Charlie and Elizabeth got together it would solve everything for her! All doors would be open to her as the sister in law of Elizabeth Bennet and she wouldn't have to worry about William Darcy's interest in her either! Caroline grinned in satisfaction. She was a genius. It wouldn't be too hard, after all, Elizabeth was gorgeous and Charlie was a nice guy who people had a hard time saying no to. She just had to show him that Elizabeth was a better match for him.

'_Game, set, match!_'She thought to herself as she walked off to see her friends, her hips swaying confidently as she glided through the crowd.


	14. Chapter 12

**Hi everyone! This chapter is kinda short but I just sent chapter 13 to my betas and I'll try to post it up earlier than usual (Don't worry, my betas are REALLY quick). Just a bit of fluff...hope you enjoy and if you do, pleeaaaasssseee review!**

**Thanx to my betas again, LADYAMADUN and MAB35! Can't do it without you guys!**

Chapter 12

Lizzy sat with Jane in the breakfast room the morning after Charlie's party. Neither woman showed any signs that they had barely slept the night before as, fresh faced, they sat eating breakfast together. Nina came by with a carafe, pouring freshly brewed coffee into their cups.

"Thanks Nina," Lizzy smiled up at her before reaching for the sugar bowl. "I really needed this."

"Well, doesn't look like it. How you young people can stay up till all hours of the night and still function early in the morning is beyond me." Nina smiled at the two women before placing the carafe on the table and returning to the kitchen. Jane spooned some yogurt into a bowl and added some berries on top.

"So what did you think of yesterday?" She asked taking a spoonful. Lizzy popped a strawberry into her mouth and chewed carefully before answering,

"It was nice. Caroline was…interesting." She smirked at Jane, who looked reproachfully at her friend before replying,

"Well, _I_ thought she was nice." She insisted. Lizzy looked disbelievingly at her friend.

"Are you kidding me Jane? She practically ignored you once she realized you had no family connections _and_ she tried to deny your relationship with Charlie!"

"Okay, so we're not best friends yet but I'm sure when we get to know each other you'll find her to be just as nice as her brother."

Lizzy shook her head, "Dream on Jane. Never gonna happen."

"What's never gonna happen?" Richard walked into the room followed by his cousin. Lizzy looked up in surprise,

"Hey! What are you guys doing here?"

Richard walked to the table, kissing the top of Lizzy's head and winking at Jane before seating himself beside the latter. Darcy smiled at Lizzy before seating himself to her right. He reached over for the coffee as Richard started piling his plate with the fluffy blueberry pancakes that Nina was famous for.

"We're carrying on the tradition that has been sadly lacking in recent months. Pass the pancakes, Rich." Darcy reached over and took the platter from his cousin.

"What tradition?" Jane asked as Lizzy grinned at the newcomers.

"Breakfast at the Bennets'," Richard poured homemade blueberry syrup on his pancakes before cutting into them. "We used to eat most of our meals here anyways, whenever we got the chance but weekend breakfasts here were a given unless we were out of town." He forked a huge piece into his mouth and chewed with gusto.

"Nina's pancakes are famous and her syrup is a secret family recipe that's been passed down. Hey, no sausages?" Darcy looked around the table.

"Here you are master Will." Nina walked in holding a platter full of hot sausages. She placed it near Darcy and smiled at the group. "I must say it's nice to have everyone over again. Just like old times. Only this time I hope there won't be any throwing of food at Miss Lizzy." She stared pointedly at Richard, who swallowed his mouthful and looked at Nina with an innocent expression.

"Aww I would never do that Nina. I'm a gentleman." He smiled winningly at her as Lizzy and Darcy scoffed.

"Yeah right! Every time Nina made tater tots, you used me as target practice!" Lizzy retorted as Darcy nodded in agreement.

"My God, what are you guys, elephants? Don't you forget _anything?_" Richard glared at the pair as Nina and Jane laughed.

"Well eat up everyone. There's plenty more of everything." Nina left the room again.

"Oh hey, before I forget, what were you guys talking about? What's never gonna happen?" Richard asked again, biting into one of the many sausages he had on his plate.

"Caroline being as friendly and nice as Charlie." Lizzy answered. Darcy and Richard both stopped mid-bite and stared at Lizzy with baffled expressions.

"Not me, _her._" Lizzy pointed her thumb towards Jane. Darcy nodded in understanding as Richard spoke up.

"Yeah, never gonna happen."

"Why not? They are family after all." Jane pouted a little.

"Okay, was I the only one who noticed how rudely she was behaving towards Jane?" He looked around the table in confusion. Lizzy and Darcy shook their heads in unison.

"Well, maybe she was just having a bad night." Jane maintained. Richard stared at her in confusion.

"Well in that case, Caroline's been having a bad night for…how old is she again?" Richard turned towards his cousin. Darcy thought for a moment,

"24…no 25. Yeah she's 25." He answered before finishing off his 3rd sausage and reaching for more. Lizzy stared at him.

"Pig," She muttered under her breath but loud enough for him to hear. Darcy grinned at her and stuffed a huge piece into his mouth. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Richard ignored their exchange and turned again to Jane.

"Yeah 25 years. Jane, she's _always_ like that. And if you're expecting things to change, well you're in for a rude awakening. If you don't have a hot shot name or powerful connections, Caroline will never like you." He pushed his plate away and sat back. Darcy looked at him incredulously.

"You're done?"

Richard made a face at him, "No. Just waiting for my second wind. So, you ladies will be joining us for Thanksgiving next weekend, yes?" He looked between them expectantly.

"Mm hmm" Lizzy nodded, her mouth full so full of pancake that she had trouble swallowing.

"Now who's the pig?" Darcy smirked at her. His smirk grew when he saw that she couldn't even formulate a response. She frowned at him, chewing furiously.

"Shut up," she spoke up after finally swallowing. "I am not a pig, I just have a healthy appetite. Not everyone can eat like a bird." She nodded her head towards Jane. Richard and Darcy laughed as Jane shook her head at her friend.

"So what's your schedule like this week?" Darcy asked Lizzy. She shrugged.

"The usual, nothing special from what I know. Oh, I _am _planning on finally meeting up with Emma. I want to introduce her to Jane."

The two men looked at Jane.

"She wants to see if Emma needs a new model." Jane explained. Richard and Darcy nodded.

"I'm also going to make a few more phone calls. I want to see if I can get her any appointments with other designers. I think she'd made a great model for Louis Vuitton or Chanel." Lizzy explained.

"Lizzy slow down" Jane urged her friend gently.

"Yeah Lizzy, Jane is turning into a tomato," Richard sat up and pulled his plate towards himself. "Okay, second wind here." He began piling more food onto his plate. "So you guys up for a movie today?"

"Sure," Lizzy answered for the both of them.

"Cool, but none of your pg 13 crap, Lizzy." Richard said sternly, waving his sausage at her.

"Ok Ritchie, I'm not 10 anymore." Lizzy retorted. She stood up and began piling empty dishes together.

"Hey what are you doing?" Darcy cried out.

"Yeah we're not done!" Richard grabbed the platter of pancakes back from Lizzy's hand and placed it back on the table. She glared at him.

"Well hurry up. I don't want to sit here all day."

"What's the rush? It's not like _Lion King_ is playing," Richard smirked at her. She ignored him and walked away to the sound of Jane and Darcy chuckling.


	15. Chapter 13

**Well here is the next chapter...I'm a little busy right now, so the next chapter will take a little more time than usual but I'l try my best to hurry it up...**

**Thanx again to my betas, LADYAMADAUN and MAB35 for all their awesome advice!**

Chapter 13

The week flew by in the blink of an eye. Lizzy finally had her long awaited reunion with Emma and the two chatted till the wee hours of the morning. Emma was thrilled with Jane as well and they agreed that Jane would be the face of Emma's new line of cosmetics slated to launch in the spring. Darcy and Richard continued to make impromptu visits to the Bennet' home and the trio seemed to fall back on their routine of years past, much to Lizzy's delight. Jane was usually out with Charlie and, not being a regular at nightclubs on weekdays, Lizzy found herself at home quite a bit and so the men's company was gratefully welcomed.

Finally it was Thursday, and the girls were busy getting dressed for Charlie's Thanksgiving dinner. Lizzy stood in her room, tying her hair into a ponytail. She smoothed a non-existent wrinkle out of her royal blue, one shoulder, satin jersey dress and slipped on a pair of matching blue pumps. Sapphire drop earrings and a matching ring were her only jewelry. Seeing as how the weather had taken a turn towards freezing, Lizzy opted for her winter coat but left her shoes on. There was, after all, no snow outside, she reasoned to herself. She made her way down to the foyer where Jane stood buttoning her coat over her black silk jumpsuit with a lace inset. The sudden peal of the telephone broke the silence.

"Who could that be?" Lizzy frowned. Jane just shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, we don't have time right now, they can leave a message." Lizzy searching for her keys in her bag but couldn't help but being distracted by the insistent ringing. She sighed in frustration and glanced at her watch.

"Umm, give me a sec. Whoever this is, doesn't look like they'll stop." She walked away towards the closest phone, in the sitting room to the left of the foyer, followed by Jane. She glanced at the number flashing but couldn't recognize it.

"Hello?"

"Hey sweetie!" the voice on the line brought a grin to Lizzy's face.

"Dad! Hi! How are you doing?" She turned to Jane, still grinning. Jane smiled gently back at her friend before slipping away to give her some privacy.

"I'm doing good honey. Busy as usual but you know I thrive on that." Father and daughter laughed together.

"I just wanted to call and say Happy Thanksgiving."

"Thanks Dad, Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. What are your plans for today?" She sat down slowly on the arm of the sofa.

"Oh the usual, busy at the office all day and I was coerced into agreeing to dinner with Gary and his family so I'm on my way over now." Michael sighed.

"Well, good! I'm glad he's making you go. Tell them all I said Hi and Happy Thanksgiving, okay?" Gary was head of the London branch of Bennet Corp and a long time friend.

"Will do honey. Okay, I have to get going, I'll talk to you soon."

"Oh…uh okay." She had expected him to stay on longer seeing as how they weren't even spending the holiday together. "but when are you coming home?" Lizzy knitted her eyebrows together, waiting for a response.

"I honestly don't know Liz. Soon, I hope."

"Please tell me I'll be seeing you before Christmas!" Lizzy said, half joking. Her father chuckled,

"Of course sweetie, or at least, I'll do my best." Michael knew she wouldn't like that answer but at the moment, he couldn't make her any promises. He heard her sigh but knew she would understand. This was a busy time for the company and he couldn't just sit back and relax. He could always make it up to her later.

"Ok well, I guess I'll talk to you later, Dad. Love you."

"By hon, I love you too. Give my best to Jane"

Lizzy heard the click signaling her father's departure from the conversation. She slowly replaced the receiver and pressed her lips together. Her dad had always been a workaholic. Even as a little girl, she remembered how he needed to be reminded by her mother to spend time at home. After her mother's death, he had made an effort, always trying to take her along for his business trips when she had a holiday. Not wanting her to be alone, he usually encouraged William and Richard's fathers to send their sons along and it had all worked out. She had never wanted him to feel the burden of being a single parent and so she had tried to make everything easy for him and never complain. But now, she couldn't help but feel that her dad didn't even make an effort to be around. There were plenty of others who could make these trips. And the other offices were stable and being run by capable men. He didn't need to be there at all times. She sighed and walked slowly back to the foyer.

Jane smiled at her."So how is he doing?"

"He's good," Lizzy buttoned her coat. "He says 'Hi' by he way."

Jane could sense that something was off about her friend and after giving her a moment to speak, decided to give her some space. The drive to Charlie's place was a silent one. Lizzy sat staring out the window lost in thought. She didn't like the way she was feeling right now and yet; she couldn't put a name to the emotion. Was it anger? Disappointment? Hurt? She frowned and swallowed hard. She wasn't a kid anymore! It's not like her father had to be around her all the time. He had his own life to live. It was selfish to feel like this…right? Kids always moved out of their homes when they went to college. She couldn't begrudge him his empty nest years. _But he's had 8 years of those already! And wasn't their relationship supposed to be different? Weren't they supposed to be closer than other father/daughter combos?_ She shook her head a little as if to push the voice that threatened to interrupt her calming musings aside.

The dark sedan pulled up the curb and the driver got out and opened the backdoor for his two passengers. Lizzy, still lost in thought, stepped out without looking and splashed her shoe right into a puddle.

"Ahh!" She gasped.

"What? What happened?" Jane asked, her voice filled with worry.

"I stepped into a freezing cold puddle! Arrgh great, this is just great…watch your step when you get out." She stepped onto the curb and shook her wet shoe.

"Are you okay?" Jane asked looking at her foot.

Lizzy sighed, "Yeah I'm fine, let's just go. The two ladies walked into the building together.

"I can't believe I'm back here again." Lizzy muttered under her breath as they waited for the elevator to carry them up to the top floor "We were _just_ here last weekend!" Her conversation with her father had completely killed her mood (the puddle didn't help things much either!) and right now, she just wanted to be at home, in her bed and under the covers.

"Did you say something?" Jane turned to her friend innocently. Lizzy smiled sheepishly at her,

"Nothing, just talking to myself." She shifted back and forth. "Man, my feet are freezing!"

"Oh my God, Lizzy! Why didn't you wear your boots?" Jane stared at her friend's feet, which were a little bluish in color.

"There's no snow outside, I didn't think I needed them." She lifted her right foot and tried to rub the top a little to get the color back but the elevator door opened. Lizzy sighed and followed her friend. A beaming Charlie opened the door.

"Hey, you're here! Come on in." He moved aside to let them by.

"Happy Thanksgiving Charlie." Lizzy couldn't help but grin at him. As usual his cheeriness was contagious. Jane smiled and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Come on. Everyone's in here." Reaching for her hand, he dragged Jane down the hall with Lizzy following.

"Are we late? Who else did you invite?" Lizzy asked. Charlie turned to look over his shoulder,

"No you're not late, and I decided to keep it small today, just us and Richard and Will." He explained. Lizzy nodded.

"Charles! Why are you answering the door? That's what the hired help is for!" Caroline's hissing greeted them as they entered the room. Her glare deepened when she saw her brother once again holding onto the hand of that two-bit gold digger. Charlie rolled his eyes.

"Caroline, I can answer the door in my own house. I'm not incompetent." Richard snickered from his place on the sofa.

"Oh _really_? Then why are your guests _still_ wearing their coats ?" The hissing continued much to everyone's amusement and this time Charlie blushed as he turned to look first at Jane and then Lizzy.

"Oh…oops. Sorry guys. I guess I forgot to take those from you." He muttered, running a hand through his blonde curls. Lizzy and Jane chuckled. Caroline stepped forward, now with a smile plastered to her face.

"Yes, so sorry about that." She turned and snapped her finger at someone who remained out of everyone else's view. A timid maid stepped forward and waited patiently for the women to remove their outerwear.

"Elizabeth I must say, that Alberta Ferreti suits you perfectly." She gushed as Lizzy unbuttoned her coat slowly, unable to speed up because of her cold fingers that were taking their time heating up. It didn't matter that Jane wore a beautiful fur trimmed napolean coat; she was still ignored. As far as Caroline was concerned, she probably stole it from her friend's closet.

"Thank you Caroline." Lizzy smiled politely at her hostess. "You look lovely." She had come prepared to compliment Caroline even if it meant lying through her teeth, and that's exactly what she had done. For some reason Caroline seemed to have an affinity for the color orange and not the nice shades. She managed to pick out the ones that did nothing to enhance her complexion. On this occasion, she wore a one shoulder orange mini dress with a long train.

"Thank you dear." She answered with a smug, confident air. She knew she looked fantastic, but it didn't hurt to have someone of Elizabeth's standing acknowledge it. Caroline turned to the maid who stepped forward and took their coats before walking away.

"Now, please, make yourself at home and I'll return in a minute. I just have to check something with the chef." She smiled at Elizabeth, who didn't miss how Caroline kept speaking singularly as if Jane wasn't there. The two friends exchanged looks; it was a battle between Lizzy's 'I told you so' and Jane's 'don't start'. Lizzy shuddered and made her way over to the sofa to sit down next to Richard.

"Hey." She said quietly. Richard raised an eyebrow, surprised at her tone.

"What's with you kid?" He asked. She shrugged. Darcy leaned forward from his chair next to them.

"Lizzy, why is your foot blue?" he frowned looking at Lizzy's. Richard too, bent over to look down.

"I didn't wear boots and accidently stepped into a puddle and now my feet are cold." She answered them. Both men exclaimed.

"What's wrong with you? Do you know the temperature outside?" Richard scolded her as he pushed her away from him on the sofa.

"Hey!" Lizzy protested but before she could say anything else, Richard lifted her feet onto his lap, removed her shoes and began to rub them with both hands. Meanwhile Darcy got up and adjusted the heat on the electric fireplace.

"What were you thinking? Don't you know it's supposed to snow today?" He sat down in his chair again, watching Richard's progress with a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm not obsessed with the weather network like the two of you." She rolled her eyes as they glared at her. Charlie and Jane sat on the love seat across them watching in amazement as the men fawned over their young friend.

"Wow, you guys are like mama bears protecting their cub!" Charlie commented. Richard glowered at Charlie.

"What, you wouldn't do it for _your_ sister?" There was silence as three of the other four occupants looked at him in bewilderment. Richard paused his foot rub and thought about what he had just said. "Sorry, dumb question. Never mind." He said shaking his head a little. Caroline returned and sat down.

"Sorry about that. What happened?" She asked when she noticed the odd position of the two friends. Lizzy shifted in her seat but Richard wouldn't allow her to remove her feet from his lap.

"My feet were really cold so Richard was just warming them up for me." Lizzy explained. Caroline sat still for a minute before nodding

'_Better Richard than Will_.' She thought to herself before speaking out loud,

"Oh I'm so sorry, dear. These electric fireplaces are nothing compared to the wood burning ones but the ridiculous co-op board won't allow us to have one. I heard Louisa Musgrove talk of the wood burning fireplace she had installed in her townhouse. She says it is the latest rage" She scoffed.

"Caroline, they banned the fireplaces in apartment buildings because the smoke was getting into other apartments. It's not safe, especially for kids with asthma." Charlie pointed out. His sister waved this information away with her hand.

"Well then, these families with asthmatic children should move out into a townhouse or even to the suburbs." Richard opened his mouth to protest when Charlie spoke up,

"Don't bother dude, she won't budge." Caroline glared at her brother before turning back to Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth darling, why don't you switch places with…your friend. I'm sure Charlie would love to help you with your feet." She looked between her brother and the heiress with a smile on her face. The two in question looked at her in confusion before Richard spoke up,

"Uhh, I got it covered, Caroline. Lizzy has us, she doesn't need her _best friend's_ boyfriend giving her a massage." He looked at her with a bemused expression, wondering what she was up to. Caroline repressed a sigh but decided to move on.

"So Elizabeth, that color is simply breathtaking on you. It really makes your eyes stand out. They're so blue. Don't you think so, Charles?" Caroline turned back to Charlie but he was busy chatting with Jane and had missed her question.

"That's 'cause she's wearing blue. Her eyes change colors." Richard explained lazily.

"Yeah and when she wears black they turn bluish green." Darcy remarked absently. Richard nodded,

"Yeah kinda like…turquoise-ish?" He turned to his cousin for confirmation. Darcy thought about it for a minute,

"I think so." The two men looked up and found everyone staring at them.

"Aaaand that's why they're both still single." Charlie laughed.

"I think it's sweet that they're so close." Jane smiled softly at the trio, "I've never had anyone in my life with that type of closeness. It's rare."

"Well, now you have Charlie." Lizzy winked at her friend who blushed but didn't say anything. Caroline did not like the grin on her brother's face and sat thinking of any way she could redirect his attention.

"There," Richard stopped rubbing Lizzy's feet. "Now at least your feet don't match your eyes." Lizzy sat up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you." Lizzy thought around for any subject that would bring her out of her funk. " So Will, how's Anna? I haven't seen her since I got back." Lizzy leaned over to look at him. Darcy's sister was five years younger than Lizzy but the two had always been close and even during her stay in France, they had skyped regularly.

"And you won't be seeing her here. Like you, I want her to grow up away from all the…glamor of New York. I don't want her to worry about having her picture taken all the time for magazines and newspapers and being hounded for interviews. I remember how much you used to hate that and how far Michael went to try and protect you." Lizzy nodded in understanding.

"Why would you want that?" Caroline exclaimed in amazement, "She's a Darcy! She should know how to deal with these issues."

"And she will. When she's ready." Darcy spoke firmly.

"You're depriving her of her birth right. She's supposed to be in the limelight. She's supposed to be representing her family and being an example for the middle class. A role model of sorts. I'd be more than happy to show her the ropes."

"Being rich doesn't make you a role model, Caroline." Richard pointed out.

Caroline huffed, "Richard please. Middle class people need _us_ to guide them. To show them how to behave. Without us they'd be like…barbarians."

"Because we have money?" Richard scoffed, "Caroline just because we have wealth and status doesn't automatically mean we're better than…the _middle class_. I mean, look at Paris Hilton for example. If she's a role model for the _anyone_ then…I'm Aretha Franklin." He looked at everyone's baffled expressions. "What? Who else should I have said?"

"Umm…Brad Pitt maybe?" Lizzy asked. Richard rolled his eyes.

"Please, Brad Pitt wishes he was _me_. But Aretha…now she is one special lady. Man can she sing!" He sat back with his hands behind his head. Darcy broke the silence.

"Richard…are you…_sure_ …you're heterosexual?"

"Ha ha very funny. Relax I'm straight. If I wasn't, you'd know."

"Back to my point," Caroline interrupted, "Paris Hilton may not be the right example but surely, you're not suggesting that Anna is on par with Paris?"

"Caroline, the so-called upper classes have a lot of skeletons in their closets. They turn a blind eye about it and pretend they're clean all the while judging others for making the same mistakes but not being able to hide it as well." Darcy put in his two cents.

"Wait," Charlie sat up, "Caroline, we _are_ middle class. We grew up in Ohio, our parents were-"

"CHARLES! Can I talk to you for a minute, _please_" She cut him off before he could continue and stood up to leave the room. Charlie rolled his eyes before following her out.

"You went to Harvard, you're best friends with William Darcy, you have a top position at Bennet Corp and you live in a penthouse apartment on the upper east side and now you have Elizabeth Bennet in your life. _You_ may be confused about your position in life, probably because of the low company you insist on keeping, but _I _am not. Do not _ever_ insinuate that _we_ are middle class." She whispered angrily. "I've worked very hard to rid myself of that stigma and I will not go back because of your carelessness. Now stop letting that hussy keep you distracted and pay some attention to Elizabeth. You've been neglecting her all afternoon." She pushed him lightly back into the room before he could comment on anything she had said. Charlie looked at his sister with a baffled expression on his face before taking his place beside his girlfriend. Caroline glowered once more before returning to her seat. She didn't notice Richard fighting to hold back his laughter.

"Excuse me Miss Bingley." The maid returned. Caroline turned to look at her. "You have an important phone call."

Caroline sighed, "Excuse me please." She got up to leave the room.

"You're sister is a piece of work man." Richard let out a sigh of relief at her departure. Charlie nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, her goal in life is to…well is to be Lizzy." Jane and Lizzy looked at him in confusion. "Rich, famous and important." He explained further.

"Famous and important?" Lizzy asked incredulously.

"Seriously man, Lizzy's a nobody." Richard said solemnly. He was rewarded with a punch on the shoulder for his comment. Darcy stood up,

"I'll be back." He started walking out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Charlie looked up at his friend as he passed him.

"Hey man, when nature calls, you gotta answer." Richard answered with the tilt of his head. Lizzy turned to make a face at him.

"Ugh, Richard why are you so vulgar?" Her friend shrugged good-naturedly and threw an arm around her shoulder. She sighed and leaned into him, grateful as always for his presence.

Darcy washed his hands and walked out of the washroom. As he walked by Charlie's library/office he heard Caroline call out his name.

"William darling." Her voice was unusually high. He closed his eyes and sighed but stopped his progress to turn back and see what she wanted from him. She stood up and walked to him to take his arm. "I need help with something and I think you're the only one who can give it to me." She smiled winningly at him.

"What is it Caroline?" He asked warily.

"Well darling, I can't help but feel apprehensive about this gold digger who's managed to sink her claws into my gullible brother." Darcy opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off,

"I'm not finished. I think, and I hope that you'll agree with me here, that Elizabeth would be much better suited for Charles. Think about it, your best friend and…adopted sister of sorts. Isn't it perfect?" She looked up at him with wide eyes and an excited expression. Darcy fought to prevent the grimace that threatened to appear on his face at the thought of Charlie and Lizzy together.

"Caroline, I will not interfere in Chuck's personal life and neither should you. He's a grown man and can make his own decisions." He turned to walk away before Caroline tried one more time to convince him,

"Wait, William. I don't _want_ to interfere but you know how naïve and humble Charles is. It's obvious to everyone but him that Jane doesn't care about him the way he cares about her."

Darcy's step faltered for a second before he continued. "Just leave it alone, Caroline." He walked away from her thinking about her preposterous idea of getting Lizzy and Charlie together. Lizzy didn't belong with some like Charlie! She needed someone different. Someone like…well whoever she needed wasn't important. She was young and had plenty of time to figure things out.


	16. Chapter 14

Sorry for the long wait guys, RL has been crazy. I'm really going to try and speed it up a bit but I apologize in advance if I can't. Don't forget to review!

And thanx to my Mab35 and Ladyamadaun again for all their help!

Chapter 14

Lizzy sat quietly watching the others converse, not really paying attention.

Returning from the washroom, he sat beside Lizzy. "You okay?" Darcy asked. He noticed that Richard still had his arm around Lizzy's shoulders and Darcy wasn't sure how he felt about that. Richard had a girlfriend, one with whom he was very much in love with, so what was he up to now? It was obvious to anyone, even him, that the relationship between Lizzy and Richard was fraternal and Darcy knew that Richard would never see Lizzy as anything other than a little sister and vice versa, but he still couldn't help but feel jealous of their camaraderie. Maybe it was because he wasn't sure where _he_ stood with Lizzy. Sure, they were friends, close friend but…it seemed like there was something missing. He wasn't sure what exactly. Was it that she seemed closer to Richard? Or was he just allowing his feelings of admiration get the better of him? Of course it wasn't that! He could find her beautiful without having feelings for her. He found many women pleasing to the eye but that didn't mean he _liked _any of them as more than friends. So of course, the same applied to Lizzy.

She shook her head a little as if to clear her head and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, just zoned out for a bit." She sat up a little and blinked a few times trying to figure out what everyone was talking about. Charlie and Richard seemed to be in the middle of a playful argument while Jane laughed at their comments.

"I'm telling you man, he's overrated! There are so many better players on the team but _he _gets all the attention." Richard leaned forward, really getting into the conversation.

Charlie shook his head, "There's a reason he gets the attention Richard! He deserves it! He's an awesome player! Will help me out here." He turned to his friend.

"What do you want me to say?" Darcy laughed helplessly before Richard cut him off again. "My _mother__'__s_ a better player than him, man!"

Lizzy turned to look at Darcy. He had a big smile on is face as he watched the others fight it out. There was a sparkle in his eye and he looked relaxed and comfortable.

"I like you like this." She blurted out before she could control herself.

"Like what?" Darcy turned to her, confused.

Lizzy froze for a minute, wondering why she had said that and then, trying to act nonchalant, she shrugged, "I don't know…relaxed, casual. Every time we're in public, you freeze up. You turn into Robo Man. All stiff and formal, never smiling."

"I am not like that!" Darcy protested with a frown on his face. "I just don't like parties."

"It's not just at parties. You act all normal when you're with anyone from your inner circle but the minute there's an _intruder_ you freeze. Even when Caroline comes in the room. I mean, I get it, you're reserved. I'm just saying I like you like this."

Darcy fought to keep the smile off his face but he couldn't control the tingly feeling inside. He didn't know why such a simple comment made him feel so giddy but he stopped trying to understand it and decided to just savor it. There was a buzzing sound and both Richard and Darcy reached for their cell phones.

"Sorry guys, I think that's mine." Lizzy reached over her bag and took out her phone and sure enough, there was an icon of an envelope flashing on the screen. "Yup, it's mine." She pressed the button to check her text messages. Darcy looked away to give her some privacy but his cousin had no such scruples. He leaned over to read it.

'_Hey __gorgeous, __miss __u__…__do __u __miss __me?__' _Lizzy frowned. She didn't recognize the number.

"Who's that? Boyfriend?" Richard looked at Lizzy in surprise. She had never mentioned having one before now. Darcy jerked his head around but before he could see it, Lizzy closed the message on her phone still with a confused frown on her face.

"I don't have a boyfriend." Lizzy said absently wondering who could have sent her the message. She looked up to find Jane looking at her curiously and shrugged her shoulders.

Caroline walked into the room just then. "Well, shall we eat? Dinner is ready." She smiled at everyone, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes but was meant to show off her gracious hostessing skills. She waited for everyone to leave the room before following them out.

They entered the dining room where a large rectangular table, was set with beautiful bone china dishes with gold plating sitting on an exquisite ivory tablecloth. The burgundy damask napkins matched the floral arrangements that were placed around the many dishes on the table. The turkey though, had yet to make its appearance. Around the room stood the staff hired for the day. Their expressions rivaled the guards at Buckingham palace.

"The table looks beautiful, Caroline." Lizzy commented honestly as she took her seat to Caroline's right. She turned to smile at the man who had pulled her chair for her to sit down but he had already returned to his station with a blank expression. She exchanged a quick look with Richard.

"Thank you, dear. I think it's important for women of _our_ status to be able to design a table setting. We may hire our chefs and other helpers but our tastes need to be showcased at all times. Don't you think so, William darling?" She turned to the man sitting on her left with a winning smile.

Darcy looked at her with a deer in the headlights expression. He had no idea what she was talking about but didn't want to let her know that. He cleared his throat and said the first thing to come to his mind, "Quite right." He reached over to pick up his water goblet and take a sip. His eyes met Lizzy's across the table. She looked at him with an amused expression.

"_Quite __right_?" She mouthed silently to him.

"_Shut __up_." He mouthed back before replacing his glass. Knowing that both Lizzy and Richard, who was sitting next to her, would be laughing at him, Darcy turned to his left but found that Jane's attention was already on Charlie. He sighed and giving in to the inevitable, he turned to Caroline who immediately began explaining to him the importance of picking just the right china for any occasion.

"Fifty bucks says I can get Jeeves over there to crack a smile." Richard leaned over to whisper in Lizzy's ear. She looked at him questioningly. He nodded to the waiter standing against the wall behind Caroline's chair.

Lizzy turned to look at him for a second before answering him. "A hundred says Caroline will fire him the minute you do," She countered him.

Richard thought about it for a minute before allowing his shoulders to slump, "Killjoy." He muttered under his breath just loud enough for her to hear.

"Hey, I never said you couldn't do it. I have confidence in your skills Richie. It's Caroline's sense of humor that lacks my faith." She comforted him. He turned to grin at her but before he could say anything, a young lady stepped between them to place the turkey in the center of the table.

"Wow, that's one big turkey!" Richard commented.

"Well Chuck, you up for carving?" Darcy addressed his friend with a slight smile.

Before Charlie could answer, his sister spoke up, " Oh, don't be silly. Charles may have plebian tastes but he's not a complete Neanderthal." Her shrill laughter filled the room. Not noticing everyone's confused expressions; Caroline snapped her finger. "Samuel." The man in question stepped forward and began carving.

Lizzy watched his movements as the knife slid into the meat, slicing it in thin slivers. She couldn't help but think of Thanksgivings back at home when her father would do all the carving and serve everyone his or her choice of cuts. He was a pro at it and would crack jokes through out the process. She sighed, as much as she loved…well most of the people surrounding her, they didn't make up for the lack of her father. She began to wonder what her life would have been like if her mother were still around but just as quickly, she suppressed that thought. She was always uncomfortable when she reminisced about the early years when her mother was around, with her warm smile and caring nature. Lizzy had been eight when Fay Bennet lost the long drawn battle with breast cancer. But until the end, she had spent every possible minute with her daughter and gently reminded her husband to do the same and because of that, they had been a close-knit family. But thinking about it wouldn't help her or change anything. She looked around the table as everyone filled their plates and chatted casually. Jane's family was French and didn't celebrate Thanksgiving so there was nothing to miss in their absence but she spoke to her mother on a weekly basis. Patricia LaFountaine was up to date with practically everything that was going on in her daughter's life. Lizzy gazed at her friend. Jane was smiling as she passed the dish of stuffing to Charlie. Not for a second would Jane ever feel lonely or unwanted. She was confident with her relationship with her mother and father.

'_Why __can__'__t __I __have __that? __Jane __has __two __parents __who __dote __on __her. __I __only __have __one __parent __and __even __he __can__'__t __seem __to __make __time __for __me!__'_

She knew he loved her and everything but it seemed to Lizzy that her father wasn't all that interested in her life. As long as he knew she was alive and healthy, that was enough. Lizzy absentmindedly poured some gravy onto her mashed potatoes as she continued her musings. At first, after her mother's death, he was always worried about doing right by her but after she left for Paris…well, things had changed. It was as if he wasn't used to having her around, and because she wasn't a kid anymore, he didn't feel the need to be there. Lizzy reached for her wine and drained half her glass.

Charlie and Caroline didn't have any other relatives that they were close to but at least they were together. Caroline had not blown her brother off for her fashionable friends and as annoying as she was, Charlie seemed to appreciate her presence. Her gaze fell on Will. He was an excellent older brother. Sure, his sister lived far away but Will was forever skyping and calling and surprising her with visits. When Lizzy was in France, her dad had come on major holidays but not much in between other than a random weekend here and there. And even then, his visits always revolved around business.

Even today, Will and Richard chose to be away from their family but again, the cousins had each other. She hadn't chosen this. She _wanted _to be around her family. Why was she always on the losing end? Lizzy could feel the anger threatening to bubble up. She picked up her roll and began to nibble it absentmindedly, letting the chatter surround her, turning into a buzzing sound as she tried to hide her anger. She wasn't hurt, no. Lizzy was a strong independent woman and small things like this couldn't hurt her, but what she wouldn't give to be at work right now.

'_Hey, __if __he __can __work __on __Thanksgiving, __why can__'__t __I?__' _

She drained her wine glass quickly and a waiter stepped forward to refill it instantly and Lizzy smiled gratefully at him. When his expression didn't change, she rolled her eyes and picked up wine glass and took a healthy gulp. She froze when she suddenly realized something. Her father had not guaranteed to be home for winter holidays!

'_Oh __God, __is __this __going __to __happen __at __Christmas __too? __Will __dad __suddenly __realize __that __he__'__s __needed __at __some __other __office? __Is __this __how __it__'__s __going __to __be __now? __Always __celebrating __with __friends __and __feeling __like __I __don__'__t __even __have __a __family? __Wait __a __minute, __Christmas __is __a __global __holiday __unlike __Thanksgiving, __which __means __that __Jane __is __going __to __be __with __her __family __in __Paris, __and __Will __and __Richard __won__'__t __ditch __their __relatives __two __holidays __in __a __row. __So __I __won__'__t __even __have __friends __to __celebrate __with. __Am __I __going __to __be __stuck __at __home __alone __with __one __lonely __stocking __on __the __mantle __and __no __presents __under __the __tree, __and __no __one __to __eat __Christmas __dinner with __or __open __presents __with __or __watch__ '__It__'__s __a __Wonderful __Life__' __with?__'_ Lizzy emptied her glass once again and motioned for the waiter.

Richard turned to look at her with a slight frown. "You okay Squirt?" He asked quietly.

"Oh yeah, I'm great." Lizzy said with false cheeriness.

"Yeah? Is that why you seem to be having a love affair you're your wine? You haven't eaten anything. What happened? Fall off the wagon?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"I'm not an alcoholic, Richie, I'm just enjoying myself. I'm not at work; I'm not in public. I can let loose at a friend's house can't I?" She challenged him.

"Well then, why aren't you eating anything?" He pressed her. Lizzy sighed and took a forkful of turkey and stuffing and shoved it into her mouth. She gave him a fake smile as she chewed. Richard stared at her but decided to let it pass. He continued watching her out of the corner of his eyes, however and couldn't help but worry as the waiter filled her wine glass yet again. Luckily no one else seemed to notice. Caroline was too focused on Will, who in turn seemed to be analyzing Jane and Charlie.

Darcy watched the couple interact and noticed that while Charlie showed an incredible amount of enthusiasm, Jane remained placid. Sure she would blush at his compliments and smile at him at a lot but it wasn't any different than the way she looked at Darcy, or Richard. In fact, thinking back to all the times they had been together, it seemed like Lizzy was the one pushing Jane to be with Charlie instead of Jane herself showing any interest. But why would she do that? Lizzy knew better than that, didn't she? Or maybe her soft spot for her friend blinded her. But why would Jane go along with it? Was she just trying to latch on to a rich bachelor who would keep her in style? Darcy didn't want to jump to conclusions but he couldn't help but be a little alarmed. It definitely gave him something to focus on, other than the disturbing thoughts his mind kept presenting. Thoughts that focused on Elizabeth.

When everyone had eaten their fill, Caroline sat up and addressed her guests.

"Well, shall we adjourn to the living room for coffee and dessert?" She stood up and waited for everyone to rise before exiting the dining area. They all followed her as she led them down the hall and into a room where a maid began pouring coffee which she served them along with a piece of pie as they sat down.

Lizzy sat eating small bites, not really taking the time to savor it. Again, she heard buzzing coming from her phone. She eagerly reached for her bag. Maybe her father was messaging her. He used to text her all the time when he was too busy to call but even that had dwindled recently. And Lizzy could tell that he was in a rush from the short clipped sentences and the way he always ended with the promise of a longer message in the future, which had yet to happen. She pressed the icon on her phone and read the message quickly. It wasn't him.

'_Can__'__t __wait __to __see __u,__Gorgeous!_' It was the mystery texter again. She frowned. Who could it be? Who called her gorgeous? Well there was _one_ person who did, but there was no way it was him. He was in France after all. She put her phone back in her bag and sat back.

"Feeling tipsy?" Richard asked. He sat down beside her and took a bite of his pie.

"No," She lied to him. "Why would I?"

"Well, you drank enough wine, that's why. You sure you're okay?"

"Mm hmm." She took another bite of her pie and chewed slowly. Sitting back, she held her plate in front of her friend. "Richie, can you finish this for me, I'm full." She pleaded with wide eyes. He rolled his eyes but took it off her hands. "Drink some coffee," he ordered. She obligingly took a sip and he continued to polish off his dessert before starting on hers. The small group of friends sat enjoying casual conversation for the next couple of hours.

Darcy sat wondering if he could bring up his Jane issues with Lizzy. He knew she wouldn't appreciate him accusing her friend of being a gold digger, but how much did Lizzy even know about Jane? How long had they been friends? _How _were they friends? They didn't have much in common. He looked between the two friends. Lizzy was exuberant and passionate while Jane seemed…well bland and timid, to put it nicely. His gaze was penetrating as he took in Lizzy's tired expression from where she sat next to Richard. She was beautiful as always and her cheeks were flushed but Darcy realized that Lizzy had barely participated in any of the conversation. Her posture was slumped and she kept glancing at her watch, as though eager to get away at the first opportunity without looking rude. He couldn't help grinning, right now, she reminded him of himself. Oh well, he could wait until she was in a better mood to ask about her relationship with Jane.

Charlie returned to the room after paying off the catering staff for having put up with Caroline and her ridiculous demands. He grinned at everyone.

"Well, Will," he addressed his friend. "Looks like you were right. There's a snowstorm outside and it's not going to stop anytime soon. So, you all are going to have to spend the night!"

"Wait, what?" Lizzy spoke up? "I'm sure it's not that bad. I mean if the catering staff can leave..." She got up to look out the large windows that were covered at the moment. She drew back the curtains and looked outside but couldn't see anything through the angry flurry of snowflakes flying every which way. Charlie's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Uh, actually Lizzy, they're just walking down the street to a hotel. I offered to have them stay here but for some reason," He paused for a minute and briefly glanced at his sister, "they preferred to walk a block instead."

"Well okay, so it looks bad but that doesn't mean the roads are closed." She looked to Jane, helplessly. Her friend smiled sympathetically.

"Maybe it's better to just wait it out, Lizzy." Jane had noticed Lizzy's somewhat depressed state of mind and knew that she wanted nothing more than to go back to the comfort of her own home. But that didn't seem too realistic at the moment and all she could do for her friend was pacify her to the best of her ability. Of course, it wouldn't kill her to spend the night at Charlie's place. She watched the brunette walk back to the sofa and sit down with a serious expression. It was obvious; to Jane at least, that Lizzy was controlling her frustration.

"Well, slumber party it is then!" Charlie clapped his hands together and grinned. "Caroline, we need to get some supplies together."

Richard and Darcy stared at their friend with matching incredulous expressions.

"What?" Charlie asked them, his voice weak. He couldn't see why everyone else wasn't as excited as he was.

"Nothing dude," Richard spoke up, still staring at his friend, but now, his expression was mocking. "I just didn't realize you were a 13 year old girl. What, are you expecting us to have pillow fights and braid each other's hair? Or were you just planning on doing our nails?"

Lizzy turned to Richard with her eyebrows raised, "Hey, you used to do that with-!" Richard reached forward and clamped his hand onto her mouth. He looked around the room and chuckled weakly. Jane's lips were pressed together as she struggled to control the laughter that threatened to burst out while Darcy looked at the pair in amusement. He was in on the joke but preferred to watch it play out in front of him rather than join in.

"What was that, Lizzy?" Charlie looked at them triumphantly. Richard pressed his hand down harder on a now struggling Lizzy. She turned her head a fraction to frown at him.

"Nothing nothing, Lizzy's tipsy, poor girl. Doesn't know what she's saying." He chuckled again before turning to her with a warning. , "You really want to start telling secrets eh, Macarena girl?" he whispered in her ear. She shook her head frantically, her eyes wide with panic. Richard sat back looking very much like the cat that ate the canary. Lizzy glared at him.

"God, Fitzwilliam, you play dirty."

"Honey, you want to see dirty? I can show you dirty."

Darcy closed his eyes and shook his head. "Richard…"

"What?" His cousin asked. Seeing everyone's expressions, he rolled his eyes. , "Cool it, gutter boy. Lizzy knows what I'm talking about."

"Okay. Well, when I said supplies, I meant some pajamas for the ladies." Charlie pointed out before turning to his sister. "Caroline, please." The woman in question fought to keep from rolling her eyes and walked out of the room.

"So, anyone up for some games?" Charlie asked everyone. "Poker? No?"

"It's getting late Charlie, and I think Jane and Will's post-turkey haze is starting to set in."

"Well, I'm fine, but Jane's going to drown in her coffee, which is now very cold." Darcy pointed out. Jane smiled sheepishly at her host. "I'm sorry, I can't seem to keep my eyes open."

"Don't worry Jane, it's normal." Lizzy comforted her friend.

"Okay so I've had everything prepared. There is one problem however. There are only three guestrooms, so someone," she stopped to stare pointedly at Jane, "will have to sleep on the sofa." Jane coughed, her face turning red.

"That won't be necessary, Caroline." Charlie's face too had taken a scarlet hue.

"Well, where will the extra person sleep then, Charles?" Caroline asked, clenching her teeth.

"I can sleep in Lizzy's room. Right, Lizzy?" Jane turned to her friend with pleading eyes.

"Of course." Lizzy spoke up before Caroline could object. "Jane and I will bunk together." She was rewarded with a grateful look from Jane. Lizzy stood up and addressed Caroline. "Thank you for your hospitality, Caroline but I'm tired, I think I'm going to retire."

Jane stood up as well, "I think I'll join you. Goodnight everyone."

"I'll have Susan show you to your room." Caroline beckoned to a maid who immediately stepped forward and waited patiently to be followed. Lizzy bent to kiss Richard's cheek. After a quick smile to Will and Charlie, she followed Jane out of the room and the duo silently climbed the stairs. They were led to a fairly large room decorated in soft pink. There was a king sized sleigh bed in the center of the room flanked by two night tables that held matching tiffany lamps. At the foot of the bed was a pair of silk pajamas. Over the bed hung an abstract painting by an artist whose name Lizzy didn't recognize. She slipped off her heels and enjoyed the feel of the plush carpet under her feet. Noticing a door to her left, Lizzy walked over and opened it to find a washroom. She looked around before closing it again.

"Do you want to go first?" Jane asked her. Lizzy turned to see her friend sitting on the bed with her eyes half closed.

"You go first, you look dead on your feet." Lizzy offered. Jane smiled at her gratefully before picking up the set of pajamas and walking over to the washroom. Lizzy sighed when she heard the door click shut. She sat down on the settee in the corner and pulled out her phone from her bag. There were no missed calls. She turned it off and threw it back in her purse. It was about 5am in London. She _could _call her dad. Lizzy shook her head deciding against it. Pulling her phone out once again and, except for a brief smile at the maid who returned with another set of pajamas which she placed on the bed, her eyes remained glued to the screen as she went through all the text messages she had exchanged with him. There were not many. Lizzy looked up when she heard the door open and Jane walked out looking fresh faced and holding her jumpsuit in her arm. Lizzy jumped up and grabbed her nightclothes.

"Lizzy…" Jane's voice was uncertain and Lizzy stopped and turned to face her. She hesitated for a minute before continuing. "Never mind." It could wait until they got home.

Lizzy walked into the washroom and shut the door, locking it behind her. She pulled the elastic out of her hair and felt her hair fall in soft waves around her face. She knew Jane wanted to talk to her but Lizzy wasn't in the mood for that. Not now, not yet. So, to avoid any discussion, she planned on spending as much time as possible getting ready for bed and if she was lucky, Jane would be asleep by the time she got out. Lizzy reached over and turned on the water tap and turned to lean against the counter letting the minutes pass as she waited for Jane to finally settle in.


	17. Chapter 15

I'm back! I've been meaning to get back to my writing and while I was gong over the story I realized that I have a chapter that I wrote last year and never posted so here it is! Sorry for the delay guys... I promise to try harder and not leave such huge gaps between posts. Here's hoping it doesn't happen again!

thanx again to my wonderful betas Ladyamadaun and Mab35

Chapter 15

Lizzy slowly opened the door and peeked out. Jane had not turned the lights off, buther steady breathing indicating she was fast asleep. She sighed in relief making her way to the bed before turning off the lights. She climbed in quietly and lay on her back with her hands clasped over her chest. The room was silent. Lizzy pursed her lips and stared at the ceiling. She wasn't tired. Craning her neck to look at her friend, she waited a few minutes to ensure that Jane was in fact in deep sleep. When she was sure of this, Lizzy tossed aside the duvet and slowly climbed off the bed. She tiptoed to the door and left the room.

She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, Lizzy leaned over to inspect its contents.

"Can't sleep?" Lizzy jumped when she heard a voice speak up.

"Oh my God, Richie you nearly gave me a heart attack!" She finally noticed him sitting on the counter and wondered how she could have missed him. She clutched her chest as if to calm her rapidly beating heart. "What are you doing up?" She asked him. He raised a glass of milk and she grinned at him.

"Milk?" she chuckled.

Richard shrugged, "It's a tradition, I like to have a glass of milk with another piece of pie when everyone else is asleep. Care to join me?" He hopped off the counter.

"For milk? No thanks." She smiled at him and shut the fridge door. She followed Richard out of the kitchen and into the living room. He sat down on the floor in front of the coffee table and waited for Lizzy to sit across him before he pulled out a bottle ofscotch.

"Well, this is more what I had in mind formyself-"

"Excellent. Pour me some too will you?" She got up to retrieve a glass for herself and sat down. He raised his eyebrows as she held it in front of him, waiting for him to fill it up.

"Are you sure? I mean, you did have a lot of wine tonight Squirt." He gently reminded her.

"Please Richard, just a little." She pleaded with wide eyes. Richard thought for a minute before pouring some in both glasses. Lizzy took a sip and made a face as the unfamiliar liquid burned her throat. Richard smirked at.

"A bit strong for you?" He sipped confidently from his own glass. Lizzy shook her head at him.

"Nope, it's exactly what I wanted."

"And what is it that you want, Squirt?" Richard leaned forward as he spoke, keeping his tone gentle. Lizzy shrugged and looked away. She sipped slowly from her glass and looked around the room, at the furniture, the walls, at anything but the man sitting in front of her.

"Lizzy," He prodded tenderly. Lizzy finally made eye contact with him. "You know you can talk to me right? I mean, I'm here if you need advice, or even just a sounding board…" he trailed off. Lizzy half smiled at him.

"Thanks for the offer Richie but really, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."

"Really?" his voice was skeptical. "Because you don't seem fine. You've actually been acting weird lately."

"How would you know what normal is for me anyway, Richard? You don't know me all that well." She challenged him.

"I know you." He watched as she smiled indulgently at him. "I know you're lonely."

"I'm not lonely! I have dad and I have Jane!"

"You don't have your dad and that's why you're lonely and Jane, yeah you have Jane but you won't talk to Jane about Michael. That's why I thought you might want to talk to me."

"And why wouldn't I talk to Jane about my dad?" Lizzy challenged him with a roll of her eyes, "She is my best friend."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't want her to get the wrong impression about your dad. She hasn't known you long enough and she definitely doesn't know your dad enough so if you complain to her about your daddy issues." Richard watched carefully through half-closed eyes. "She might think he's a horrible person who doesn't love you and you don't want that." He knew he'd found a truth watching as the smile slowly faded from Lizzy's face and she sat frozen with wide eyes, not contradicting him.

"And that's where I come in. I grew up with you and your family. So I know that he loves you and I won't suddenly start to hate him or anything. I care about you and I care about your dad and nothing you say is going to change that." He sat back and watched her struggle with her emotions. Richard knew to be careful as he waited for his young friend to cave. She fiddled with her glass and suddenly drained it, silently holding it out to him for more which he gave, reluctantly. Lizzy took a sip from her glass before setting it on the table and facing Richard.

"What do you want me to say? That I'm angry that he's never here? That I'm sick and tired of being left behind for whatever business comes up? That I'm tired of feeling like I don't even have a father?" She snapped at him suddenly.

"Well, yeah…it's a start." He crossed his arms and watched her with a serious expression as he waited . She sat quietly drinking for a minute before sighing.

"What good will that do Rich? It won't change anything." Richard didn't like the defeated tone in her voice.

"Well you won't know until you try. It might change things, or at least make you feel better. Stop being all waspy. You're not your mother." He winked at her and Lizzy smiled softly at his comment.

"Remember my mom, Richie? She was great huh?" She watched him nod and smile before continuing. "Sometimes I feel like I'm idealizing or at least forgetting the bad stuff because, there is no way she could have been that perfect. I mean, I remember being so happy and complete when she was around. She knew just what to say and when and she knew how to get dad to stay home for the important stuff."

"You're not idealizing. Your mom was awesome. It was so fun trying to get her to lose her temper!"

"Yeah but she rarely did! Even with your best efforts."

"I guess I'm no match for a Connecticut wasp!"

"Well, you were once. Remember when we were on vacation one summer and you guys tricked me into knocking over that beehive?"

"Oh yeah…wow was she ever pissed! Will went into hiding after that, he was terrified!" Richard laughed over the memory.

"Umm excuse me, so were you! You almost wet your pants!" Lizzy reminded him. They laughed together and then sat silently.

"She kept our family together. I never thought she would leave us."

"She didn't leave you Lizzy, it was her time to go. She didn't really have a choice." Richard spoke softly.

"I know, I know, I'm not angry about it. It just…sucks. Everything just fell apart after that. I could see dad struggling to juggle being a single parent with work. I knew it wasn't easy and I never wanted to make it harder for him than it already was. That's one of the reasons I left to go live with Aunt Maddie and Uncle Ed." She paused and chuckled wryly, "Dad was so worried about letting me go. I remember he made me promise to skype him all the time. I guess he didn't realize that he wouldn't have the time."

"Lizzy…"

"He was so busy trying to keep his multi-billion dollar company from failing that he just didn't have time for his only daughter." She rolled her eyes, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "But you know what," Lizzy paused and looked at Richard with hard eyes. "He saw me more and spent more time with me when we were living on two different continents!" She emptied her glass again and reached out to grab the bottle before Richard could stop her.

"Lizzy you know your dad loves you right?" Richard kept his voice soft as he looked at her sympathetically.

Lizzy laughed derisively, "Well, he sure has a weird way of showing it." She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a swig.

"Hey, that's not such a good idea." Richard leaned over to take the bottle from her but Lizzy held it out of reach and frowned at him. He sat back and sighed as she continued her rant.

"He never has any time for me. He barely calls, his texts are short, it's like he's forgotten all about me. Like his job as a dad is done and he can disappear now. Well it's not! I gave him eight years off! Eight years! I thought that would be enough time for him to delegate and you and Will were old enough to take on more responsibilities. But noooooo, he still has to continue being a workaholic! He's loaded for God's sake! He doesn't even have to work. If Bennet Corp. went down tomorrow, he would stillhave enough money to live nicely." She leaned forward and wrapped the coffee table with her knuckles. Richard looked at her questioningly.

"Knock on wood." She explained beforeswallowing another mouthful of whiskey. "You know what, I bet it didn't even occur to him to be home for Thanksgiving. Everyone in the country celebrates with their family but not me, oh no, I can't have that. People like Caroline, who probably don't even appreciate their family, they have it but I can't. Because I have to have a crappy life. My mom had to die, and my dad had to abandon me."

"He didn't abandon you Liz-" Richard tried to interject but Lizzy wouldn't allow him.

"Well it feels like he did." She snappedback. She stretched out her legs in front of her and leaned back against the loveseat behind her. Richard looked at the bottle and groaned. She had finished off quite a bit.

"Lizzy, you are going to have the mother of all hangovers tomorrow, you know that right?" he moaned as he covered his eyes with his hands. She didn't answer him. They sat quietly for a few minutes; the only noise was the sound of the wind howling outside as the snowstorm raged on. A hiccup escaped Lizzy and she closed her eyes. When she spoke again, her words were a little slurred.

"What's wrong with me Richie? Hic-why doesn't anyone want me?"

"Oh wow, you are officially drunk now." Richard sighed. He reached over and grabbed the now almost empty whiskey bottle. When he sat back again Lizzy nudged him with her toes. "I'm serious. Everybody leaves me. No one stays…" her confusion riddled voice trailed off.

"I'm not going to bother saying anything now, because you won't remember this part of our conversation tomorrow. When you're sober, I'll share my pearls of wisdom. For now, you can just vent okay?" He clasped his hands behind his head and watched as Lizzy pondered over his words before grinning at him.

"You're a good friend, Richie. You won't leave me…You know who else is a good friend? Jane. She's so nice and friendly and sweet…"

"Uh huh." Richard rolled his eyes at Lizzy's tone.

"That's why I'm going to do what I can to make sure she doesn't leave me. I'm going to make sure she gets her dream job. And as long as she has Charlie, she'll want to stay here with me. Charlie will be her anvil." She sighed. Suddenly a creaking sound at the door made them both turn in that direction and wait for a while. When nothing else occurred, they looked at each other.

"Probably nothing." Richard shrugged. "What were you saying? Charlie will be Jane's anvil? What the hell is that?"

"Yeah, you know, like on a boat. It stops it from moving." Lizzy spoke as if she was pointing out the obvious.

"Oh you mean an anchor!" Richard chuckled as Lizzy frowned as she tried to figure out the difference between the two words until it finally dawned on her.

"That's it. You're so smart, Richie." She tapped the side of her head as she closed one eye and nodded at him. Richard rolled his eyes again but said nothing.

"I know you hang out with me because you have nothing else to do, and no one else to be with but are you gonna ditch me when Jessi comes back?" Lizzy asked pathetically.

"Of course not, Lizzy. You're my family. Jessi gets that, don't worry. And I would never leave New York." He comforted her with a serious expression on his face. Lizzy stared at him for a minute before smiling.

"I knew you'd be there, Richie."

"And Will too. Don't forget Will." He added lazily. Lizzy sighed heavily.

"Will…you know he was one of the reasons I left?" Richard sat up alert and looked at her.

"What was that Squirt?" He asked hesitantly. Lizzy nodded slowly.

"Yup, I wanted to get over him so I left and that's why I didn't visit either." She sighed again.

"And did it work?" Richard felt like a heel asking but he just had to know. Lizzy frowned as if she was working out an exceptionally hard math problem in her head and just couldn't get the answer right.

"I don't know. I thought it did but sometimes…I don't know." She closed her eyes and Richard struggled to keep from asking her more questions about her feelings for his cousin. After a few minutes, he heard Lizzy's soft snoring and knew that she had fallen asleep. Richard stood up with a half smile and walked over to her sleeping form. He bent over and picked her up, one arm supporting her back while the other was under her knees. He walked slowly up the stairs, saying a silent prayer after every step that Lizzy wasn't as chubby as she used to be. He grinned knowing that if Lizzy could hear his thoughts, she wouldn't hesitate to kick him. Knowing that Jane was in Lizzy's room, he tucked Lizzy into his bed instead. He brushed aside her hair and looked affectionately down at her as she slept. They would need to have a talk soon. A sober talk.

Grabbing the extra pillow and blanket, he went back downstairs and made his waytowards the sofa. He grumbled to himself as he punched his pillow and twisted his tall frame to get comfortable on the narrow sofa.

'Whoever says chivalry is dead should be shot!'

Darcy twisted and turned in his bed, unable to sleep. He had a lot going on in his head. Lizzy, Charlie, Jane. It felt like he had a million things buzzing up there and he couldn't focus on any one in specific.

It was clear to him that Jane's feelings for Charlie were not as strong as his feelings for her. Charlie went out of his way to be with Jane, to talk to her and hold her hand while Jane just seemed to…tolerate his advances. Maybe Jane was the type of woman that needed to have a boyfriend at all times and so would take the first decent guy and keep him around until she found someone she wanted more. Darcy growled to himself. It frustrated him that he couldn't read Jane LaFountaine 100%. Was she or wasn't she a gold digger? What threw him off the most was her relationship with Lizzy. Lizzy had always been an expert at picking out phonies and yet, here she was, befriending Jane and encouraging her relationship with Charlie. It boggled his mind. He wasn't sure if he should talk to her about it or Charlie instead. He didn't want to anger Lizzy with his assumptions. Things were going so well between them lately and he didn't want to shatter their peace.

Lizzy…whenever he thought about her, he could feel butterflies in his stomach. She was everything he had ever wanted in a woman; beautiful, independent, intelligent, lively, funny. He could go on and on. She was amazing and he couldn't help but admire her. But it was just a crush…right? It would pass. He smiled dryly to himself as he thought of Lizzy's childhood crush on him. A comment Richard had made a few months back came to him. Did he want Lizzy to feel that way about him now? What would he do if Lizzy liked him? Would he jump at the opportunity to be with her? His first answer was Hell yes! But the more he thought about it, the more it made him want to change his initial assessment. No, he wouldn't. What if they got together and then broke up? It could ruin their friendship. It would ruin their friendship. And as far as he was concerned, it was not worth risking just for a passing fancy. And that's all it was really…

Darcy turned to look at the clock on night table. It was late but he couldn't sleep. He threw his comforter aside and sat up. He was thirsty and wanted to get a glass of water. He walked to the door leading out of his room and slowly turned the doorknob. Not wanting to wake anyone, he tiptoed quietly down the stairs and towards the kitchen, grateful that he had not run into anyone. He was after all wearing a borrowed pair of pajamas from his friend and seeing as how Charlie was a few inches shorter than him, the pants ended just at his ankle. Not his best look. Darcy grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and walked out of the kitchen. As he was walking down the hall, he heard voices coming from the living room. He pressed his ear against the door and heard Richard's voice,

"When you're sober, I'll share my pearls of wisdom. For now, you can just vent okay?"

What were they doing in there? Having a party without him? He was about to open the door and join them when he felt the jealousy bubble up inside him at Lizzy's words.

"You're a good friend Richie. You won't leave me...You know who else is a good friend? Jane. She's so nice and friendly and sweet…"

Richard a good friend? What about him? Wasn't he a good friend too? He continued listening,

"Uh huh."

Darcy could practically hear his cousin rolling his eyes. Lizzy however, sounding extremely drunk. Her words were fuzzy and she spoke slowly and almost childlike.

"That's why I'm going to do what I can to make sure she doesn't leave me. I'm going to make sure she gets her dream job. And as long as she has Charlie, she'll want to stay here with me. Charlie will be her anvil."

He stepped back suddenly in surprise, wincing as he heard the creaking sound he had just made. Darcy froze for a minute praying that he wouldn't get caught in his eavesdropping. He closed his eyes andwaited. When he heard the murmur of their voices again, he slowly turned and walked away, rushing to his room as quickly as possible all the while trying to remain as quiet as a mouse. He climbed back into his bed and placed the now forgotten bottle of water on the night table.

Lizzy wanted Jane to stay in New York. She was desperate for it. Desperate for companionship. And she was willing to do anything for it, even if it meant sacrificing Charlie's feelings! He didn't blame Lizzy for it; her abandonment issues were clearly clouding her judgment. Jane was the manipulative one in this equation. She was using Lizzy's vulnerabilities to her advantage. Jane must have noticed Lizzy's issues with Michael. It explained so much. This was why Lizzy hadn't seen through Jane's deception. She was just trying to hang onto her friend. Well, he wouldn't allow this to continue. First he would talk to Charlie. With any luck, once Jane realized that Charlie was not going to sign over his deep pockets to her, she would leave and look for a sugar daddy elsewhere. He knew that even if he threw all this information at Lizzy, she would still be defensive over her friend. No, it was best he dealt with this and that Lizzy be left in the dark for now. She would thank him eventually. He hoped.

When he thought about her sitting and confiding in Richard, Darcy felt green with envy. What was Richard doing? For a guy who had absolutely no interest in Lizzy, he sure was having a hard time staying away from her! Had he forgotten about Jessi already? He could feel his inner green-eyedmonster begin to rear its ugly head. Why didn't Lizzy talk to him? Sure she laughed and joked with him as she did with her close friends but with Richard, she seemed to let down her guard even more. As if she felt safe with his cousin. Why didn't she feel safe with him? Was she still holding his previous behavior against him? She sure hadn't acted like it. Lizzy had been completely friendly with him and always looked happy to see him. And he couldn't forget her comments about liking him when he was relaxed. She had said those words just a few hours ago. So why was she sitting with Richard and sharing her thoughts with him? And if it was innocent, why hadn't they called him? Feeling like a five year old who's been abandoned on the playground by his two best friends, Darcy huffed and tried to convince himself that he didn't care. If they wanted to stay up all night chatting, it was fine with him. He turned over and tucked his arm under his head. He would have to have a talk with hisdear cousin tomorrow. Find out just what his intentions were. Darcy shut his eyes and willed all images of Lizzy with Richard out of his head. The last thing he remembered before finally dozing off was Lizzy's smiling face as she told him that she liked him "like this".


	18. Chapter 16

Thanks to my beta MAB35 for all her help! An once again I'm sorry for the delay, I'm really trying to get back on track with it.

Chapter 16

Jane walked into the den of the Bennet townhouse finding her friend sitting in an armchair with her legs curled up under her and a book in her hand. It was the afternoon after Charlie's impromptu sleepover and the girls had managed to leave his apartment late that morning. There was still plenty of snow outside and flurries were still coming down gently but the roads had been cleared throughout the night.

"What are you reading?" She asked, sitting down on the sofa and craning her head to catch a glimpse of the title. Deciding to make it easier for her, Lizzy raised the book and held the cover in front of Jane's face for a few seconds before continuing her reading.

"Ah…so," She waited for Lizzy to look up again, "How are you doing?" Lizzy raised an eyebrow, "Umm…I'm good?" she asked.

Jane laughed at her friend. "Sorry, it's just, you were a little upset at Charlie's place and you've been quiet since we got home. What's bothering you?" She looked at her friend, the concern evident on her face.

Lizzy smiled at her, "Don't worry, it was just a bad mood. I'm fine now, just…a little hung over."

Jane giggled and then sat up quickly as something occurred to her, "Hey, what were those texts you were getting? Why did Richard think you had a boyfriend?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about those." She sat up a little and looked around. Locating her cell phone on the coffee table, she reached over to grab it and tossed it on her friend's lap. Jane opened the texts and read the two in question.

"Gorgeous?"

"I know, who could it be?" Lizzy frowned thoughtfully. They sat quietly thinking over the possibilities.

Jane looked up at Lizzy with wide eyes. "Lizzy, what if it's Marc?"

"It couldn't be, Marc is in Paris remember?"

Jane shook her head, "Well what if he's here? What if he wants to see you?"

"Why would he? We broke up months ago. Almost a year actually. Why would he show up now?" Lizzy looked at her friend, baffled by her suggestion. Jane shrugged, "I don't know but who else calls you gorgeous?"

"Yeah, I always hated that." Lizzy wrinkled her nose.

"You really don't think it's him?" Jane insisted.

"It's highly unlikely don't you think?" She asked, shrugging in response.

Jane pursed her lips. "Well, maybe you should call him, find out."

"Nuh uh, no way! What if it's not him? I'd look like an idiot. I'll just pass on the number to a friend and see if he can track it and figure out who it is." Lizzy sighed, not really bothered at the moment about her mystery texter. Her headache had dibs on her full attention.

"Oh la la Lizzy has friends in high places!" Jane waggled her eyebrows at her Lizzy and winked earning her a guffaw from her friend followed by a wince.

"Oh sorry!" Jane winced also as if she too felt the pain of Lizzy's hangover. "Well, I could really use some tea. Want some?" She stood up and waited for her friend's answer. Lizzy shook her head, "No thanks I'm good."

Jane left the room and Lizzy dropped her book onto her lap as she thought about her ex-boyfriend. Marc-Andre DuPont. They had been involved for a little over a year. At first Lizzy couldn't help but be attracted to him. He wasn't exactly tall, just a few inches taller than her really, but his dark blonde hair and hazel eyes had made up for that. Normally, she didn't go for blondes, but at that time, Lizzy was all for experimenting and so when the struggling artist asked her out after meeting her at the Musee d'Art Moderne, she accepted with only a moment's hesitationafter only briefly hesitating. Marc Andre was always sweet and very affectionate but for some reason Lizzy could never bring herself to take their relationship to the next level and hadn't even told him she loved him and she hadn't been in love with him. It was more of a warm friendship. Eventually, Marc got tired of waiting for her to come around and slowly their relationship went downhill until they mutually decided to end things between them. Although their break up had been amicable, Lizzy had never really bothered to keep in touch with him. She hadn't even called him to say goodbye when she left. So why would he be contacting her now? Lizzy shook her head, it was all very confusing. She looked up when she heard her friend's padded footsteps. Jane walked in holding a mug of steaming hot tea and handed Lizzy a water bottle.

"For the hang over." She explained as Lizzy took it from her with a thankful smile. She carefully sat down on the sofa and blew into the mug she held with both hands. The temperature of the cup warmed her cold fingers and she savored the heat, being unused to cold weather like this. She smiled at Lizzy as she made herself comfortable by tucking her legs underneath her. Taking a sip, she watched her friend over the rim.

"By the way what is going on with you and Will?"

Lizzy frowned at her, "What do you mean."

"Do you like him?" Jane persisted.

"Uh no, where did you get that?" Lizzy raised her eyebrow at Jane who regarded her calmly, "I mean, yeah I like him, he's a good friend but do I _like _like him, no." Seeing the knowing look on Jane's face made Lizzy suspicious, "Whyy?" she dragged the word to 3 syllables.

"I don't know, there's a vibe when the two of you are together. He's _always_ looking at you." Jane began.

"No he's not." The denial flew out of Lizzy's mouth automatically.

"Yes he is! Every time we are all together, I see him checking you out and whenever you sit with Richard or he hugs you or something, I can see Will getting jealous. He turns red and frowns and has to look away." Jane insisted. Lizzy laughed,

"Ok seriously Jane? Where are you getting this? You are always looking into Charlie's eyes, how would you notice any of this, if in fact it was actually happening?" Lizzy rolled her eyes but Jane wouldn't back down. "Lizzy, I'm not stupid, I know what I saw. Will likes you and you are different with him. Not like how you are with Richard."

"Hey, I _do not _like Will anymore okay?" Her eyes widened when she realized her slip of the tongue. Jane leaned forward looking like the cat that ate the canary.

"_Anymore_? What does that mean?" Jane stared at her friend who was having trouble making eye contact. Lizzy played with the label on the water bottle.

"It's nothing okay?" She insisted.

"Lizzy come on," She prodded gently, "Talk to me." She watched Lizzy for a few minutes in silence. Finally Lizzy looked up and sighed, "Okay, so I had a crush on him when I was a kid, it's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? How can you say that? When was this?" Jane put her empty cup on the side table and focused all her attention on Lizzy.

"Because it was a long time ago. Before I moved to Paris."

"So what happened?"

Lizzy shrugged, "Nothing, I was crazy about him, he thought I was a kid, I got tired of seeing him with women all the time and then I ended up moving away. End of story. It's a pretty boring one too."

"Is Will the reason you left-" Jane began but was cut off my Lizzy,

"No! Absolutely not…or at least not the only reason." Lizzy could see the surprise on Jane's face and felt uncomfortable for revealing so much. "Look, Jane, it's all in the past ok? Will and I are just friends."

"Lizzy, you moved to Paris because you were love with Will and he saw you as a kid. Even in Paris, you barely dated at all, except for Marc and that was barely dating. Were you waiting to come back to Will all this time?" Jane's eyes were shining with excitement.

"Whoa easy there Cinderella. You might be living a fairy tale life with your Prince Charming but my life isn't like that." Lizzy fought to keep the bitterness from her voice. She didn't want to begrudge Jane her contentment. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was Jane with her tender heart and sweet nature.

"I don't know Lizzy, it all sounds very romantic to me!" Jane sat back, ideas whirling in her head she pictured Lizzy in a beautiful dress with her dark curls floating around her while her tall, dark and handsome Prince Will stood behind her with a protective arm around her. She couldn't help but sigh over such an image. Lizzy noticed her dreamy expression and grew suspicious of Jane's musings.

"Janey, do _not_ get any ideas in that pretty head of yours concerning my love life!" The smug smile on her friend's face brought her no comfort whatsoever.

A few blocks away, Darcy stormed into his cousin's penthouse apartment with raging eyes. He found his cousin lazing on the leather couch in front of the TV, idly flipping channels in the vain attempt to find something remotely interesting.

"Hey man," Richard turned to find Darcy glaring at him, his face red with oppressed emotions and raised his eyebrow, "Whatcha been smoking?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Just what is going on between you and Lizzy?" Darcy burst out placing himself directly between his cousin and the television.

Richard shrugged, "Sure, by all means, stand there. You're prettier than anything else on."

Will rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly as he moved over to the armchair. "I'm serious, Richard. You're always flirting with her. At the very least you're going to raise false expectations. And what about Jessie?"

"Are you kidding me?" Richard scoffed, "Get your head out of your ass, Othello. Lizzy and I are friends. Good friends, nothing more and we both know that and neither of us wants more."

"Are you sure about that? How do you know she doesn't want more?" Will ignored the pang in the pit of his stomach as he waited for Richard's answer.

"Because Lizzy treats me like a brother, not a potential love interest and she knows about Jessi. Listen, I'm not the one you should be worried about. She's a beautiful young woman. I'm surprised that no one's snapped her up yet. If you're interested, and I mean seriously interested, not playing around, you're going to have to make a move." He watched the range of emotions flit across his cousin's face.

"So what, I just ask her out? I can't do that. I'm not sure I'm ready to do that." Will mumbled.

Richard sat up and leaned his elbows on is knees as he shook his head. "No, just spend time with her first, get to know her. Knowing you if you ask her out now you'll get all nervous and say something stupid and piss her off."

Will exhaled and sat back, pondering Richard's words. He really couldn't argue with them. His cousin knew him well. "Your furniture still sucks by the way" he muttered.

"Yeah well, blame the decorator. She forgot to factor in comfort when she did this place." He stood and walked over to his open concept kitchen, complete with black granite counters, stainless steel appliances and tall bar stools. Opening the fridge, he leaned in to examine its contents. "Hungry? I got leftover chinese from…Wednesday." He called out without looking at his cousin.

"No thanks I'm good," Will walked over and perched on the barstool. "Ok, seriously you have to redo this place. Even these are uncomfortable. And everything seems so…cold"

"Eh, I'll do it eventually. I hate the hassle man." He pulled out a soda and held it out over the counter.

"Why don't you just get Jessi to do it?" Will reached for it and opened the can warily in case his cousin shook it. When the coast was clear, he relaxed and took a gulp. Richard smirked at him.

"I will…once I get a ring on her. Don't want to scare her away with my 'domestic expectations'." He rolled his eyes and opened a box of Ppringles. Will chuckled,

"Never thought I'd see the day where Richard Fitzwilliam would be begging a woman to marry him."

"Hey I'm not begging." He protested, "I'm just…waiting."

"No you're right, you passed begging months ago." Will grinned at the unusual advantage he had over his cousin. Richard sighed and walked back to the sofa.

"I don't get why she thinks things have to change if we get married. She can still go all over the place for her job. She'd actually be more comfortable, she'd take the jet." Richard flopped down with a frown and popped another chip in his mouth. Will followed him back still clutching his soda.

"Maybe she's scared of the women in your family?"

"Hey! My mom's a lovely woman." He protested with a confused expression. Will was always very close to his aunt. He thought for a second, "Ohhh you mean Aunt Cat. Yeah she's a deal breaker." He grimaced as Will nodded in agreement. "But that's not enough to say no. I mean she's not marrying her, she's marrying me. No there's gotta be something else." The two men sat in silence for a while quietly sipping drinks and crunching on chips.

"Ok enough of this gloomy subject. Call of Duty?" Richard placed the container on the side table and walked over to the console to grab the wireless remotes.

"Sure why not. It's been a while since I kicked your ass" Will shrugged and tossed his empty can into the garbage. He reached out for the remote, ready to lose himself in any activity that kept his mind of his women problems. He had a plan of action. For now, that was enough.


	19. Chapter 17

_Hey everyone! Once again, thank you for the awesome reviews. Whenever I read them, it motivates me to keep writing. Thanks again to my beta MAB35 for taking the time out to help me! Keep reviewing people:)_

Chapter 17

The Sunday morning following Thanksgiving was crisp and full of snow. The sun shone brightly though it did little to raise the cold temperature. The ever famous Central Park was not exactly deserted but there were not many patronizing its paths. Among these few was a young brunette, dressed warmly in sweatpants and a jacket with gloves to keep her hands warm. She jogged swiftly, paying little attention to her surroundings, although this could be because of the ear buds blasting music into her ears. Her pace kept up with the quick tempo of the song on her iPod. Finally she swerved to the path on her right and made her way towards her favorite coffee shop.

Lizzy slowed her pace to a brisk walk and removed her glove before reaching out to open the door. She stepped in an inhaled the heavenly scent of coffee and fresh pastries. True her home was just a few blocks away but she could never resist the temptations at 'Via Quadronno'. Grabbing a quick breakfast of a chocolate croissant and cappuccino, Lizzy sat down at a small table by the window. She placed her gloves in her pocket and grasped her cup in her hands to warm them up. Slowly she savored her drink and pulled out her phone to check her email. Other than a few lines from Emma reminding her of their lunch date, there was nothing personal. Deciding that her work related correspondence could wait; she pocketed her phone and reached for her croissant.

"You know what they say about people who eat alone,"

Lizzy's head snapped up to see Will standing over her with a smirk on his face.

"They never have to share their treats!" She grinned at him. Giving him a once over she noticed his work out clothes and asked, "Where are you coming from?"

"The gym. Want some company?"

"Sure" He grinned at her and went to grab himself something to eat. He returned a few minutes later holding a coffee and what looked to Lizzy like a Panini with some sort of deli meat.

"What _is_ that?" she asked, her voice full of curiosity. He sat down and showed her his sandwich.

"It's a Panini" wrinkling his eyebrows in confusion. Surely she must have had one before?"

"No you loser," she snorted, "what's _in _it?" She rolled her eyes at his stupidity.

"Oh. Okay yeah that makes more sense. Umm…" He paused to examine it again. "It has prosciutto and fontina cheese." He looked up to see a bewildered expression on his friend's face. "What?"

"You had to look at your sandwich to see what's in it? You _just_ ordered it! How could you forget so fast?" Her companion just shrugged and took a bite of the sandwich in question.

"Wow," She shook her head at him, "If this is the level of your intelligence, I think we might need to reconsider your position at Bennet Corp. You know, maybe send you down to the mail room." She grinned at the sudden frown on his face. He chewed quickly and swallowed before protesting,

"Hey! I remember the important stuff!"

She crossed her arms and leaned forward, "Oh yeah, like what?"

"Uhh…well…I…shut up and drink your coffee." He ignored her burst of laughter and kept on eating. Lizzy reached for her cup and sipped before tearing into her croissant once again. Her eyes sparkled at him and Will found he couldn't help but smile at her. They sat in companionable silence for a while.

"Hey where's Jane? Usually you guys are joined at the hip. I mean, when she isn't with Charlie." Will spoke up

Lizzy chuckled softly, "She's at home. I was out for a jog and Jane, well Jane's more of a yoga kind of girl."

"You were jogging? In this weather?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"Its too cold! Why don't you just go to the gym?" he looked at her incredulously.

"You're such a wuss." Lizzie countered, "It's not freezing. And besides, I like running when it's cold. I find it…refreshing." She drained her cup and put it down.

"Do you want a refill?" Will made to stand up but Lizzie reached out and stopped him,

"No thanks, I'm good."

"Here try this," He held his sandwich up at her. Lizzie shook her head and backed up a little. This did nothing to deter him.

"Come on, just take a bite!" Will leaned forward even more despite the fact that Lizzie was now grimacing and shaking her head.

"I don't want any Will!" She whined. Will made a face.

"Stop being a baby!" He held the Panini to her mouth and reluctantly she took a bite.

"There, that wasn't so hard was it?" he grinned at her triumphantly. She chewed and swallowed before answering him.

"It's not bad." She lied. It was actually really tasty but she didn't want to admit it to him.

"Not bad?" Will scoffed. "Admit it, it's amazing."

"You couldn't even remember what's in it!" Lizzie objected. Will shook his head at her.

"Doesn't mean it doesn't taste good. Swallow your pride Bennet." Will dared her. Lizzie scowled for a minute before caving,

"Fine, it's delicious. There, are you happy now?" She glared at him.

"Very." He beamed at her. Lizzie laughed at his victorious expression.

"What time is it?" Lizzie asked a still smiling Will. She didn't feel like fishing her phone out of her pocket.

"It's uh…" he glanced at his watch, "Oh wow, it's late, 10:15. I'm supposed to meet Chuck in 45 minutes. " He stood up, "Do you want a ride?"

"Will, I live a few blocks away, I think I can handle the walk." Lizzie gave him a sarcastic smile. He grinned at her before returning to the counter. She watched as he spoke to the waitress, handed her few bills from, his wallet and then quickly strode to the door empty handed. He winked at her and walked out. Confused Lizzie turned to see the waitress making her way towards her holding plate with a Panini on it.

"The gentleman who just left ordered this for you." It was the same one that Will had eaten; the one she had admitted was delicious. Lizzie chuckled to herself before addressing the woman in front of her who stood with a polite, detached smile.

"Can I get it to go please?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Will exited his apartment freshly showered with still damp curls. He rushed out glancing at his watch. Charlie would be waiting for him by now. Briskly, he walked the several blocks to the restaurant where he had arranged to meet his best friend. Sure enough, there sat the blonde young man, idly tapping his fingers against the table.

"Sorry I'm late," Will swiftly walked over to the table. He removed his jacket and draped it over his chair.

"Took you long enough. I'm starving." Charlie watched his friend sit down and pick up the menu. "What kept you? Usually I'm the one running behind schedule." He picked up his menu as well and began perusing the options available.

"I ran into Lizzy on my home from the gym and had a bite to eat with her." He examined the offered beverages, not noticing his friend's surprised expression.

"You already ate?" Charlie tone was disappointed. "I've been waiting for you to join me and you already ate?"

Will sighed, "Relax Chuck, I just had a sandwich. I can certainly make room for more."

Charlie visibly relaxed and the two friends continued to quietly examine the menu. The waiter made his way over to take their orders.

"I'll have the steak and eggs please" Charlie handed his menu back to the young man standing before them. Will did the same.

"I'll have the seared diver scallops."

"Anything to drink with that gentlemen?" the waiter looked at them expectantly.

"Yes I'll have fresh juice and a coffee please." Charlie spoke up.

"Make that two please." The waiter walked away leaving the men alone for the time being.

"So…you ran into Lizzy?" Charlie sat back and looked at his friend. Will nodded.

"I saw her through the window of a coffee shop and went in to say hi."

Charlie nodded, "Jane wasn't there?"

Will shook his head. Charlie, seeing that his friend wasn't following up, pressed on, "Why not? She's okay isn't she?"

Will nodded before glancing around casually at the other diners. The restaurant was full of people, young and old enjoying the delectable cuisine of the famous chef. When he looked back at his friend, Charlie was giving him an annoyed look.

"What?" Will asked in confusion.

"Umm a little more information would be nice." Charlie said sarcastically.

"What do you want me to say Chuck? I ran into Lizzy and Jane wasn't there. Would you have rather I stood you up so that I could go and check on your girlfriend just because she wasn't out with her roommate?" Will's tone was dry. Charlie frowned and hesitated before speaking up,

"Is there something you're not telling me? Do you have a problem with Jane?"

"What makes you think that?" Will cringed inwardly.

"Why are you avoiding the question? What's wrong with her? Why don't you like her?" Charlie frowned in concern.

"I do like her." Even to his own ears his answer sounded weak. Charlie raised an eyebrow at him. Will sighed.

"Look I don't have a problem with her. If you like her that's great."

"I DO like her," Charlie spoke forcefully.

"That's good."

"Yes it is. It _is _good. It's great." Will could hear the frustration in his friend's voice. They sat quietly for a minute, neither wishing to break the awkward silence.

"What's the problem, Darcy?" Charlie couldn't help speaking up. Will raised his eyes to meet Charlie's.

"Look, I really don't have a problem with Jane, I'm sure she's a nice person. It's just…" he hesitated.

"Just what?" Charlie sat up impatiently. Will sighed for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Do you remember how when you first started at Bennet Corp and Richard would take you out and women used to flock to you once they heard where you worked and who you were friends with?" Charlie nodded, his face pale.

"Well, you had to learn to be cautious with women, try to figure out the gold diggers and social climbers from the genuine ones. I'm just saying exercise that caution."

Charlie sat deep in thought for a minute before countering,

"But she's Lizzie's best friend. Wouldn't she know if Jane was in it for the money?"

Will hesitated once again, "Lizzy is…not infallible. She can make mistakes. This could be one."

"But she has connections. She lives with the Bennets. She doesn't need me. I'm nothing compared to them." Charlie grasped at straws, not wanting to admit that Darcy could have a point.

"A spouse is more permanent than a roommate. Divorce more profitable than a falling out with a friend." He paused to let his words sink in before continuing, "I'm not saying that Jane IS a gold digger. I'm just saying be careful. Don't make any rash decisions until you're absolutely sure."

The waiter returned and places their warm plates in front of them, "Steak and eggs for you, and for you Sir, the Scallops. Coffee and juice." He places their drinks down and stood straight, "Is there anything else I can get you?" Both diners shook their heads and the waiter walked away after smiling briefly. They began to eat quietly. Several minutes later, Will decided he needed to say something,

"So, what are you're plans for the rest of the day?" he stabbed a scallop with his fork and placed in his mouth. Charlie looked at him ruefully before replying,

"Hanging out with Jane."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Silence again.

"Chuck, you don't have to break up with her anything drastic like that. I'm just saying go slow." He watched his friend nod slowly and together they returned to their meals which on any other day they would have relished but the topic of conversation seemed to put a damper on things.


	20. Chapter 18

Once again thanks to my wonderful beta MAB35! And to all my readers any input/advice is greatly appreciated...keep the reviews coming!

Chapter 18

Lizzy returned to work feeling that although she had not enjoyed thanksgiving day, breakfast with Will followed by a long lunch and an even longer shopping spree with Emma had more than made up for it and therefore the long weekend was not a total bust. Emma had felt that Lizzy's closet was too sparse and so the two had spent the entire day remedying the situation. From Barneys to Bendel's, Bergdorf to Saks, they left no store un-patronized until Emma was satisfied and Lizzy had to admit, she was pleased with every single item they had found. Sitting at her desk, Lizzy smiled to herself as she remembered her friend's words: '_How you lived in Paris for 8 years and left with only 2 suitcases is mind boggling. What's the matter with you?'_ No matter what she said in her defense, Emma declared that it wasn't excuse enough.

'_She was probably right!' _ Lizzy thought to herself wryly. She hadn't bothered with too much shopping and instead had immersed herself into the culture. She was more likely to be found at the Louvre or the Opera Bastille rather than visiting the shops on Avenue Champs Elysees. Nevertheless how many women would pass up the opportunity to indulge themselves at Hermes? _'But it's not like I can never go back. Uncle Ed and Aunt Maddie would be so hurt if I didn't visit'. _ With a slight shake of her head, Lizzy tried once again to concentrate on the task at hand; going over various aspects of the campaign she had pitched on her first day. The team, while working hard, was not up to level of perfection that she had hoped for and there wasn't much time before her appraisal meeting with Charlie. She didn't want to step on his toes but it seemed to Lizzy that everyone working under Charles authority, while liking and respecting him, had no problem doing a subpar job because, instead of reprimanding them, Charlie would just fix it up himself. Lizzy clucked her tongue. '_I guess there really is such a thing as being too nice, God he's so perfect for Jane'_ she thought to herself as she highlighted yet another portion of the assignment that had to be redone thanks to a sloppy co-worker. All of a sudden a loud buzz interrupted her efforts and in her surprise, Lizzy's hand slipped causing her to draw a squiggly yellow line. _'Damn!'_ She closed the marker and stared in dismay at her now imperfect notes.

"Excuse me Ms. Bennet." Her assistant's voice chirped through the intercom, unaware of the damage she had inadvertently caused. Had she known what was going through her employer's head at the moment, her voice would undoubtedly have been more subdued.

Lizzy sighed, "Susan, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Lizzy? No more of this 'Ms. Bennet' business please."

"Of course Ms. Bennet."

Lizzy shook her head in annoyance, "What is it Susan?"

"Your meeting with Mr. Bingley is in precisely 5 minutes."

Lizzy sat up straight, "What? What time is it?" she began to quickly put her papers together.

"It's 4:55 at the moment. Which is when you told me to remind you of your meeting." Susan pointed out in her pleasant yet professional tone. Lizzy stood up quickly grabbing all her necessary folders and rushing out the door. She paused at Susan's desk, "Could you send out those emails from my outbox? I didn't get a chance and it'll probably be too late by the time I'm done."

Her assistant nodded, "Yes, I'll get that done right away. Is there anything else you want done before I leave?" Lizzy always ended up staying later of the two but insisted that Susan return home to her family. Why punish her assistant just because she was a workaholic?

"No, that's fine. Have a good night." She smiled and rushed off. As she passed Will's office on her way, Lizzy noticed the blinds were open and she could see her friend standing beside his desk while talking on the phone. He glanced up just in time to catch her smile and wave but she didn't stop. Making her way to the door bearing Charles Bingley's nameplate, Lizzy paused to smile at his secretary but as agreed upon from before, she went straight to the door and knocked.

"Come in," Lizzy opened the door and walked in with a smile.

"Lizzy!" Charlie's cheery voice greeted her, "Right on time as always!" He beckoned for her to take the seat in front of him. "Working hard or hardly working?" He winked and sat back with his hands behind his head.

Lizzy grinned at him, "Well, I've been trying to work hard," She hesitated before continuing, "however I don't think I can say the same for everyone on this project."

Charlie sighed, "And here I thought we could spend the hour just relaxing and having a nice chat as friends." He sat up straight, ready to get to work, "Okay, let's get down to business. What do you have for me?"

Lizzy began to update him on everything that was done so far. Point by point she walked him through her notes. He stayed silent for the most part as she spoke, only occasionally interrupting to ask a question. Thankfully He didn't notice her yellow marked paper!

"Well done Lizzy. I like what you have so far. I know that you've been doing more than your share of the project. If you need help let me know".

Lizzy hesitated before deciding to speak, "Charlie can I be blunt?" at his nod she continued, "It seems to me that you end up doing more than your share as well. Our department seems to be full of lazy workers."

Charlie exhaled, "I know what you mean. Will's always telling me to be harder on them but I can't seem to do that. I just can't be mean or scary."

Lizzy thought for a minute before replying, "Well, you don't have to be the scary one like Will. But you could outsmart them."

Charlie frowned in confusion, " What do you mean?"

"Well, let them know that their work will be evaluated or at least noticed by the scary seniors."

"I'm not following," Charlie leaned forward, waiting for her to simplify her idea.

Lizzy sighed, "Well, tell them every aspect of this project and future projects as well will have to be initialed by those working on it. Everyone will have to label their contributions which will then be seen by senior management and if they make a mistake, just send it back to them to be fixed up otherwise their mistakes will be seen by the ones who sign their pay cheques."

Charlie's eyes lit up in understanding, "That's actually not a bad idea." He grinned at her, "Great suggestion Oh Wise One!"

"Hey!" Lizzy frowned at him, pretending to be hurt, "I've been known to have a good idea from time to time!" She laughed knowing he had seen through her attempt at fake anger.

"No but seriously, thanks for the advice." He watched as she began to shuffle her papers together.

"Anytime." She smiled at him.

"You know, you sounded like Will just then."

"Oh yeah, what was it? My deep, masculine voice?" She teased him as she made to stand up. He laughed at her, "No, no, but you both are very opinionated…not in a bad way!" He hastily went on to explain his point before offending her. "What I mean is you're both confident, and give good advice without worrying about what people think."

Lizzy raised her eyebrow at him. "Umm… thank you?"

Charlie's face reddened as once again he tried to explain himself out of the hole he seemed to be digging for himself. Lizzy took pity on him and interrupted his flustered attempts to clarify his points.

"Charlie, it's ok I know what you're trying to say." She watched as Charlie smiled in relief, "So Will gives you advice?" She prompted out of curiosity.

Charlie nodded, "Yeah, he really cares for his friends and family so if he sees something wrong, he doesn't hesitate to correct it. And even when we disagree," It looked to Lizzy like Charlie had some sort of inner conflict he was struggling with before he continued, "well, Will's the smart one, so he's usually right."

Lizzy frowned as she stood and reached for her folders, "Charlie, you don't give yourself enough credit." She spoke softly, "I mean, yes Will is smart, with the high IQ and everything, but that doesn't mean that he's always right and you're always wrong. You went to Harvard, graduated cum laude and got a job in one of the biggest corporations on the country. All on your own. If you weren't intelligent, you wouldn't have accomplished all that"

Charlie smiled gently at the young woman standing in front of him, a worried expression on her face. It didn't sit well with her that someone like Charlie didn't realize his self worth. "You're a good person Lizzy Bennet."

"I know" She winked at him; "Say hi to Jane for me. You see her more than I do these days!" Lizzy noticed Charlie's smile falter a little before he spoke, "Oh, uh…actually I won't be seeing her tonight. I have plans…uh…with my sister." He shuffled some papers on his desk in an attempt to avoid eye contact.

"Oh. Well I guess I'll see her before you then."

Charlie smiled weakly at her but didn't say anything and Lizzy paused for a minute, wondering what was wrong, before leaving the room and making her way back to her office.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An unexpected sight greeted her when she had returned to her office and pushed the door. Will stood by the table unpacking containers of Chinese food, from a bag. He stopped to examine the contents of each one before setting it on the table, making sure it was exactly what he had ordered. Meanwhile, Richard sat back in her chair with his feet up on the corner of her desk as he perused what she could only assume was _her _iPad.

"Oh great," She said dryly, "Tweedledee and Tweedledum are here"

"He's Tweedledum," Richard absentmindedly muttered as he continued whatever he was doing on her iPad. Will rolled his eyes but said nothing.

"What are you guys doing here?" Lizzy walked over to her desk and put her folders down. "Is that my iPad?"

"Yeah, why is it so empty? There's nothing on it. Not even Microsoft Word. Where's all your work?" He sounded baffled and as he looked up and noticed her folders, his face went blank.

"Are you kidding me Squirt? What, are you in grade 5? Who takes notes on paper anymore?"

Lizzy shrugged, "What can I say, I'm old school. I don't like having to delete stuff; I'd rather cross it off with a pen. My final drafts are always computerized so relax". She walked over to where Will stood and looked over the contents on the table. "Did you get my tangerine chicken?" Without answering Will handed her a carton. "And dim sum AND dumplings and of course, your Peking duck." He added as he handed her chopsticks from the bag before taking a seat and digging into his choice of entrees: Sichuan Tiger prawns. Lizzy joined him and sat back in her chair with her legs crossed as she picked through the pieces of chicken in her carton with her chopsticks until she found a morsel with extra glaze smothering it. She popped in into her mouth and chewed, savoring the burst of citrus flavor mixed with just the right amount of spices complementing it rather than overpowering it. Richard walked over and tried to steal a piece but Lizzy was too quick for him and held her container as far away as she could.

"Chugger," He muttered before sitting down and reaching for the carton of sweet and sour pork. "By the way, I downloaded some very important apps onto your iPad."

"Angry birds?" Will asked without looking up from his dinner.

"And Subway Surfer." Richard looked at the annoyed expression on his pseudo sister's face. "You are welcome by the way." He smirked at her, as she shook her head, not even bothering to say anything. They ate in companionable silence, quietly passing containers of noodles and dumplings to each other when asked.

"So how was your meeting with Charlie?" Will popped a dumpling into his mouth as he waited for Lizzy to finish chewing. She swallowed and reached for the Peking duck. "It was fine. The usual. I think we're making progress. Slow but steady."

"That's good." Richard murmured absentmindedly as he looked around for the basket of dim sum. Spotting it beside his cousin, he motioned with is chopsticks and Will passed it forward.

"I like to think so," Lizzy agreed. "Charlie was acting kind of weird though."

"What do you mean?" Will asked, putting down his food and reaching for a bottle of water. He opened it and drank half the bottle in one gulp.

"Well, towards the end, when we were talking, he had this weird look on his face, like…"

"Like he was constipated?" Richard interrupted. At her nod, he continued, "Yeah he looks like that when he's nervous."

"Why would he be nervous around me?" Lizzy asked in confusion. She too reached for her water and began to drink.

"That _is _weird. What were you talking about?" Will asked wondering what it was about Lizzy that made Charlie nervous.

Lizzy shrugged and sat back, feeling full. "Nothing. I told him to say hi to Jane because he sees her more than I do and he got all weird and said he had plans with his sister."

"Well, I can see how plans with Caroline would make anybody nervous. She's a real treat." Richard's tone was sarcastic as he finished off the dim sum and placed the empty basket back on the table. Neither he nor Lizzy noticed the suspicious look on Will's face. Lizzy shook her head. "No that's not it, or at least I don't think so." She looked over at Will who was now quietly playing with his empty water bottle. " What's wrong with you?"

Will cleared his throat, "Me? Nothing, why?"

Lizzy shrugged, "I don't know, you're not saying anything."

"What is there to say? Caroline is hardly my favorite topic of conversation." Will stood up abruptly before Lizzy could say anything and began gathering the empty cartons together. "We better get going. Don't want to be here all night." He swept everything into the empty plastic bag and dumped it into the trashcan. His companions stood up as well and followed him out of the office with Lizzy pausing to lock the door. Richard and Lizzy fell into an easy banter, not noticing Will's discomfort. His mind was going a mile a minute wondering what exactly Charlie had done about his relationship with Jane. He knew his best friend well enough to know that Charlie avoided all plans with Caroline and she didn't exactly insist on spending time with her brother unless he was with his prestigious friends. This could only mean that he was purposely staying away from Jane. He glanced at Lizzy as she playfully elbowed his cousin with a grin on her face and wondered how much his advice to Charlie was going to cost _him_?


	21. Chapter 19

**_Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update...My internet has been really sucky for the last month and RL was really hectic as well. Anyways, here's the next chapter, let me know what you think and once again thanks to my beta Mab35!_**

Chapter 19

A few days later, Lizzy walked into her town house and made her way into the warm kitchen to see what Nina had on the menu. It wasn't often that she made it home in time to eat dinner that was still hot off the stove instead of having to zap it in the microwave. However tonight was the exception. Charlie had implemented her idea with the rest of the team and they seemed to be buckling down. Apparently the threat of being evaluated by their boss's boss was just what they needed to get moving and Lizzy couldn't be more satisfied with the results.

She found Nina pulling a tray of ramekins from the oven.

"Hi Nina" she walked up the surprised woman and kissed her on the cheek

"Lizzy! You're home early tonight. To what do we owe this honor?" She smiled warmly at the young woman as she grabbed a carrot from the salad bowl.

"Well, things are going great at work so I figured I could make it home early for once." She glanced at the tray, "Ooh and I couldn't have picked a better day. Nobody makes a chicken pot pie like you Nina."

"Oh go on now!" Nina couldn't hide her blush or the pleased smile that made its way onto her face. "Go wash up and be a dear and see if you can get Jane to eat. Poor girl has been out of sorts and I'm beginning to worry."

Lizzy frowned, "What do you mean? Where is she?"

"She's been spending a lot of time in her room lately, barely touches her dinner and she hasn't been going out to eat either." Nina sighed. She didn't like to impose but she couldn't help but worry. It had been so much easier with Lizzy. A plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies was all it took and Lizzie would begin chattering about all her problems and worries, ready to be advised and cuddled. Nina doubted Jane would do the same.

"I'm going to go check on her, see if she's okay." Lizzy's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes go on and see if you can get her to come down. I'll have dinner on the table in 10 minutes."

Lizzy walked out of the kitchen and made her way up the stairs and towards Jane's room. She knocked lightly and waited for permission to enter. When none was heard, Lizzy knocked again and slowly opened the door a crack to see if Jane was there. Sure enough, her friend sat on a sofa by the bed, idly playing with her cellphone.

"Jane…can I come in?" She asked softly, not wishing to force her presence. Jane nodded and Lizzy entered the room, shutting the door behind her. In the short time Jane had been living there, she had managed to put her stamp on her room. After Lizzy had insisted that they make their living arrangement permanent, Jane had had the room painted a soft ivory color to complement the plush dusty rose carpet. The room was tastefully furnished with a cream-colored armoire, vanity and sleigh bed while the Victorian sofa and chair in the sitting area was upholstered in light pink and cream velvet. There were pictures of her family as well as Lizzy and Charlie spread around the room and the off white curtains that covered the floor to ceiling windows, were pulled back with dull gold sashes, letting the moonlight shine through.

"Hey…what's wrong?" Lizzy's voice was barely above a whisper. It felt wrong to speak in a louder tone with Jane looking so melancholy.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Jane's soft voice was weak with disappointment.

"How can I not worry when you're sitting here like this?" Lizzy sat beside her friend and faced her. "Did something happen at work?" When Jane shook her head, she continued, "Is everything okay with your family?" When Jane nodded, Lizzy felt she couldn't take it anymore, "Janey please you gotta give me something here! I'm starting to freak out!"

Jane sighed, and turned to face her friend, "I think Charlie wants to break up with me."

Out of the possible answers to her question, that was the one Lizzy had least expected. Jane and Charlie were joined at the hip. It didn't make sense. "What? That's ridiculous! Where did you come up with that? You guys are always together."

Jane shook her head, "I haven't seen him for the past few days."

Lizzy was speechless. "Umm did he say he wanted to break up?"

Jane sighed, "No, but he called and said that things were moving a too fast and that maybe we should slow down a little." She grabbed a tissue from the side table and wiped the stray tear that had managed to escape her efforts at controlling her emotions.

"Ok, well that's not breaking up. It's ok to take things slow. I mean, it's not like you have to get married tomorrow. You've been dating for, what, 2 months now?"

"2 and ½ months," Jane corrected her friend. It seemed essential that Lizzy acknowledge every day of her relationship.

"Okay but see, there's nothing wrong with slowing down and trying to figure out if you guys are meant to be." Lizzy tried to reassure her friend. Personally, she didn't see anything wrong with going slow.

Jane gave her friend a pitiful look, "Lizzy, he hasn't called since then." That information silenced her friend. It really didn't make sense for someone who was as enamored as Charlie had seemed to be to just back off all of a sudden, at least not without a reason.

"So…what happened? He just came up with this at the spur of the moment while you guys were having dinner?" Lizzy tried to make sense of the situation.

Jane sat up, resigned to go through it once more, only this time, out loud and not in her head. "Well, we had plans for Sunday evening and all of a sudden, he called me and said he couldn't make it. I told him it wasn't a problem and we could just meet the next day but he started going on about taking things slow, getting to know each other better. He mentioned something about getting our priorities straight, and not being together for the wrong reasons. I thought we were together because we cared about each other!" Jane couldn't control her tears anymore and they fell freely. Lizzy reached out and took her friends hand in hers, trying to offer whatever comfort she could. They sat silently together for a few minutes.

"Oh crap," Lizzy glanced towards the door, remembering the dinner that was probably getting cold as they sat there. "Listen," she turned back to Jane, "things will work out, don't worry. Guys like Charlie scare easily but he won't let you go. Now, I promised Nina that I would bring you down for dinner. You have her worried." She stood up, still holding Jane's hand but Jane didn't budge, "I'm really not hungry, you go on without me."

Lizzy sighed, "Come on, please? You'll feel better one you have some food in your stomach. Besides, you'll hurt Nina's feelings and you don't want to do that do you?" She knew Jane would not risk the possibility of hurting someone. And sure enough, her softhearted friend reluctantly stood and followed her out of the room.

As they sat at the table, Jane picked at her food, playing with the vegetables and chicken, while Lizzy devoured hers while deep in thought.

_It just didn't make sense. _Lizzy reflected to herself; _What could Charlie have meant when he said 'wrong reasons'? They only things she could think of were people that entered relationships with secret agendas, like money or connections Charlie wasn't the type to even to imagine that Jane would have ulterior motives. Was it Caroline? Was she the one influencing her brother against his girlfriend? No, it was obvious that Charlie didn't take his sisters opinions seriously. But then what could it be? Or who? Who would warn Charlie against Jane? Who would Charlie take advice- _Lizzy sat up straight, her shock evident on her face. She recalled her weird conversation with Charlie from a few days back. He had mentioned something about Will giving him advice and even when they disagreed, he bowed to Will's superior intelligence. She growled under her breath, resolved to get to the bottom of this.

"Sweetie, listen, I have to run a quick errand." Jane nodded listlessly, not even bothering to look up. Her gloomy demeanor made Lizzy even more determined to fix this. "Promise me you'll finish your dinner. Nina will be offended. Her pot pie is a family specialty and there's never been leftovers ever." She stood and waited until Jane finally put a piece of chicken in her mouth, "Good girl, I'll see you in a bit." Lizzy ran to grab her purse. With no time to call a car, she decided to drive herself and grabbed her keys, rushing out, a woman on a mission.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

The slam of a door reverberated followed by a piercing shriek, "William Darcy! Where are you?"

Will and his cousin gave each other puzzled looks over the billiard table. The two were enjoying a quiet night at Will's place, playing pool and drinking beer.

"It's finally happened," Richard's voice was full of awe. Will looked at him in confusion, waiting for him to explain.

"One of your rejected exes has cracked and is out for your blood."

His cousin made a face at him, "Be serious for once Richard,"

"How do you know I'm not?" the playful redhead retorted. The sound of footsteps getting closer could be heard and both men watched the door to see who exactly had come to exact revenge. Needless to say, both were shocked when a livid Lizzy marched in, face red, eyes wide. She threw her purse onto the pool table so forcefully it caused the contents to come sprawling out.

"What the HELL is wrong with you?" She burst out. Will could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. Richard whistled, tossed his cue onto the pool table and moved out of the line of fire. "I'll just…sit over there." He sidled away and went to take a seat on a chair across the fuming brunette and her reluctant opponent, where he would have a prime viewing spot.

"What? What did I do?" Will objected holding his hands up in a defensive gesture. Lizzy walked up until she stood directly in front of him. "How could you? You think you know _everything_ don't you? Well you _don't! _And your stupidity is hurting people!" She kept yelling at a very confused Will. He turned to look at Richard for a possible explanation but his cousin just shrugged with a baffled expression on his face.

"Ok, calm down.." Will tried to cut into Lizzy's tirade but with little success. His attempt to soothe only aggravated her even further.

"Do NOT tell me to calm down," She pointed her index finger at Will, "I'll calm down when you admit you're an ass and fix what you broke!"

Will once again turned anxiously towards his cousin, sending him a silent plea for help. Richard took pity on him and tried to intervene, "Uhh Lizzy, sweetie, you're going to have to fill in some blanks." Lizzy turned her furious glare towards him as he tried to look like he was not affected by her anger when in reality he was. Who knew that little Lizzy would grow up to have such a temper? "See, Will here, as well as myself, have no idea what you are talking about."

Once again Lizzy interrupted, not caring what else he had to say, "Well, maybe you don't know what I'm talking about, " She turned back to Will, "But William knows _exactly _what's wrong."

"Actually I don't…"

"Yeah he really doesn't…"

"FINE! If you insist on playing dumb…I'm talking about Charlie and Jane and that horrible advice you gave him!"

Will felt the color drain from his face, "Who…uh… who told you about that?"

"What? You thought I wouldn't find out?" She shrieked at him.

"Umm, guys I'm a little out of the loop here," Richard halfheartedly waved his hand trying to get their attention. But both parties ignored him.

"Listen Lizzy, I didn't-"

"You didn't what? You didn't tell Charlie to dump Jane?"

"What? Will-" Richard jumped in disbelief. But his cousin didn't allow him to continue.

"I didn't say that!" he yelled at Richard before turning back to Lizzy, "I didn't say that!" He insisted to her but she refused to listen.

"Don't try to deny it! I'm not an idiot! The minute Jane told me what Charlie said, I knew it had to come from someone else! There's no way Charlie would have behaved like that on his own!"

"Actually…" Richard tried again to put his 2 cents in.

"Shut up Richard!" Lizzy yelled at him while still glaring at his cousin. "Why did you do it?" Will opened his mouth to defend himself, but she went on yelling, "Do you have a problem with Jane? You don't like her?" Once again Will opened his mouth to protest and again Lizzy drowned him out, "Were you jealous? Is that why you did it? You're jealous of your friends happiness?" Will didn't think Lizzy's voice could get any louder.

"Lizzy give him a chance-"

"Stay out of it Richard!"

Richard raised his eyebrows and sat back in his seat. Will couldn't see any other way of getting her attention, "LIZZY!" He yelled over her. She shut her mouth and glowered at him, "I DIDN'T TELL CHARLIE TO DUMP JANE!"

"DON'T LIE TO ME WILLIAM DARCY!" She shouted.

"I'M NOT!"

"THEN WHY IS HE AVOIDING HER?"

"I DON'T KNOW, ASK HIM!"

Richard's head swiveled back and forth as though her were watching a tennis match. Finally he couldn't take it anymore. "ENOUGH!" He bellowed. "You guys are giving me a migraine! I'm going to need a whole bottle Percocet if you don't shut up!" Both Lizzy and Darcy stared at him, speechless and breathing hard. He hurried on before either of them could begin yelling again, "Now, calm down and speak like rational adults. Lizzy, explain…_without_ yelling, what exactly happened. Did Charlie really breakup with Jane?"

Lizzy took a deep breath and exhaled in attempt to calm her rage, "He cancelled plans with her saying something about slowing down and trying to make sure they were not together for the _wrong reasons_," she paused to glare at Will before turning back to his cousin and continuing, "And he's been avoiding her ever since. He _did not _come up with that on his own and we all know that Caroline _doesn't _have that kind of influence over him. _William, _however, does." She crossed her arms and scowled at him.

"Ok, wait-"

"Wait Will, did you give Charlie any advice?" Richard prompted, praying the answer would be a firm NO.

Will sighed, "Yes but I didn't tell him to break up with Jane."

"There," Richard sighed with relief, "See Lizzy-"

"I _did_ tell him that it wouldn't be a bad idea for them to slow down." Will admitted hesitantly. Richard hung his head in defeat. 'Let the fighting recommence' he thought to himself.

"Why? Why is it your business how fast or slow they go in their relationship?" Lizzy's voice was still full of rage but thankfully she had lowered the decibels.

"Charlie has a habit of rushing into relationships and getting his heart broken." Out of the corner of his eye, Will could see his cousin nodding in agreement and this gave him the courage to go on. "I was looking out for a friend. You would have done the same in my position."

"Oh get off your high horse Darcy!" Lizzy snapped, "I would never interfere in my friend's relationship. I would support her!"

"Even if she was about to be victimized?" Will countered.

"Are you saying Jane is using Charlie? She doesn't need his money or connections! She has ME! If she wanted to use someone,_ I_ would be the logical choice don't you think?" Her voice was scathing.

"How do you know you _aren't _being used?" Will insisted.

"Because I _know_ her. She's my friend and I trust my friends. Unlike you! You think I'd be best friends with her if she were a gold digger? Do you think I'm too stupid to be able to tell the difference? "

"This is not about trust! And no, I don't think you're stupid. What is so wrong with taking things slow in a relationship? Charlie always charges into things headfirst, I just told him to not to rush. Is that a crime?" Will turned to his cousin for support.

Richard cleared his throat, "Lizzy there seems to be a little bit of a misunderstanding. Nobody advised Charlie to dump Jane. He probably wanted to take some time to think. I'm sure he'll call Jane soon." Lizzy took no comfort in Richards mollifying tone. She took a deep breath, "You better fix this William. If Charlie breaks Jane's heart because of you, I will _never forgive_ you. He's sitting at home thinking about whether or not to end his relationship with _my_ friend, all thanks to you! You made him THINK!" In any other situation, what Lizzy had said would have caused them to snicker but laughter was the furthest thing on any of their minds. She grabbed her purse and stormed out. Will noticed her keys still lying on the billiard table. He picked them up. "Did she drive here?" Before Richard could respond, Lizzy marched back in, grabbed her keys from his hand and marched back out with one last glare. Will turned to his cousin, "She really shouldn't drive-" Even with his mind in a turmoil, Will's first thought was for Lizzy and her safety, but before he could finish his sentence, Richard stood up nodding, "I'm on it," He rushed out behind his angry friend, intent on making sure she arrived safely home.


End file.
